... in response to "Drop-outs: Should we pay them to attend school?" (Q&A from 1/15/99) SNET Internet readers responded with a resounding "NO!" to the question, "Should we pay drop-outs to attend school?" Some of the strongest arguments against this idea came from students themselves.

Readers also offered a variety of suggestions to reduce or prevent the sad human losses associated with dropping out. There was general agreement that we need to do what we can to address the needs of these students, BEFORE their adjustment or learning problems escalate to the point of leaving school before graduation ... even though the school of hard knocks may eventually bring them back. Here is a sampling of what readers had to say:

Money is not the purpose of school...getting an education is

"As a high school student, I understand why kids drop out of school.

"There is a lot of pressure in both public and private high schools, and family background does not always directly relate to why kids are unhappy in school. I come from a successful family. Both of my parents and both of my sisters received good grades in high school and college. However, I am not happy in school, and my grades reflect that. The thought of dropping out has crossed my mind more than once.

After talking with my family, friends and guidance counselors, I realized that in the long run I would be even more unhappy if I did drop out. As for kids who have already dropped out, I'm sure they would have stayed in school a little bit longer if they were paid to go.

"However, money is not the purpose of school -- getting an education is. Paying students is taking away the real value of school and keeping kids enrolled for the wrong reasons. Students who drop out must learn the consequences of what they did."

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It would be unfair to the good students

"I am a high school student and feel that we should not pay dropouts to go to school. First, it would be unfair to the students who go, do a good job and get good grades. You would be punishing the good students if you paid the dropouts. Second, it would not lower crime and drug use. The dropouts are usually the ones who do drugs, so they would take the money and buy drugs with it. Finally, if kids don't like school and don't want to be there, why bribe them to go? They would just cause more problems by being in school."

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Kids learn best from basic rewards and punishments

"The people who our teens look up to these days get into trouble and then out of trouble with little or no punishment. These are your entertainment personalities in music, movies and sports. I think the old system of reward and punishment had more merits than today's system, where young people learn that you don't have to have a good education to make money."

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We have to teach responsibility

"I am an adult male who works with convicted juvenile offenders, most of whom are on the fast track to becoming dropouts. We are offering today's youth too many options, instead of teaching basic responsibility. I dropped out of school and was thrust into the workplace. Options were few. I could have entered the military and gone to Vietnam, where I could have gotten myself killed. The other option was to go to night school and earn a GED. I chose night school. After the GED, I went to junior college, then continued on to a masters degree in counseling. The good, hard-working kids should get the benefit of our school dollars; not the kids who won't come to school and refuse to benefit from it."

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Different students respond best to different programs

"Children should not be paid to attend school. However, the traditional school format has to be examined and modified. Individual personalities and learning styles impact a child's drive to stay in school. When schools offer alternatives to the traditional format, more students are willing to stay.

"My oldest child is very bright, yet hates the formal, traditional structure. It has never worked for him. But he is not a slacker. He has a well developed work ethic and enjoys learning. Fortunately for him, his high school has several alternative programs. The one he is in allows him to work full-time and attend school at night four days a week. He must complete the traditional curriculum, but this way of structuring it accommodates his learning style and his need for smaller classes and more individualized attention. He is happy, non-stressed and feels like an adult, because he is treated like one. He will get his regular high school diploma at the end of this year."

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Give parents the resources to help their children learn

"Parents should be involved in schooling from day one. If they do not have the skills to work with their children, use money to start adult education or peer tutoring programs for the parents. For inner cities, find resources to start on-site study rooms equipped with basic school supplies and computers. All students need to have access and parents need the same. I am a parent volunteer and do what I can. Teachers and administrators need to make parents feel welcome. Comfort should be a big part of the whole process."

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Reward students for success

"We should not pay students to stay in school. But the monetary reward idea has some potential. For example, we could give students who graduate a voucher for an amount that would depend on grade point average, to be used for college tuition. This might be an incentive to do well in school and also create a more level playing field for all students, regardless of race, color, creed, sex or socioeconomic status."

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We need to balance the demands on our kids

"In most families, both parents work. Yet my son is only in the third grade, and he comes home every night with a ton of homework. It's tough to find the time to go over it with him, plus he also has sports, scouts and religious education, which are also important for his development. Schools need to keep a balance in mind, so kids aren't turned off about school early on."

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Children must understand the value of schooling

I have a funny, true story to tell you. I was a first-year teacher on an island off the coast of Maine, where I taught K-12 vocal, instrumental and classroom music. Some of the older teachers told me that I would have very few boys in my high school Music Appreciation class in the month of February because of "shrimping." The boys would take off and work with their parents or other adults who hired them to haul nets to catch shrimp.

"After being absent for three weeks, the boys showed up. I asked one of them why he did this year after year and missed out on his education. He asked me how much I made that month. I told him that my salary was public knowledge; it was $6,500 per year, about $360 a month after taxes. He said he had just made over $1,000 that month. I couldn't argue with that, but (for the record) did explain the long term effects of a good education (foreign concepts to an 18-year-old.)

"For kids who make big money as drug runners, we can't afford to pay them enough to come to school. They have to have some other incentive."

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Make school programs fit the needs of the job market

"Maybe if high schools were more like real life, reflecting technology as it is in the working world and focusing on what is needed in industry, medical and other vocations, more of the "bad" boys and girls would stay in school."

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Identify and teach to individual strengths

"I believe each child is a unique individual. We should identify what each child's strongest assets are and work with those. Sometimes math, English, biology, science and geography are not for everyone. Technical schools are wonderful. Each student gets to identify which shops they prefer and get trained in those fields. This approach also helps a student's self-confidence. If students are constantly asked to do things they aren't good at, they get embarrassed, feel insecure and lose confidence in themselves. Not every student is college bound. Assessment of individual student abilities will help produce students with positive self-confidence and goals for their future."

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Author's note: Thanks to everyone who expressed an opinion about this important issue.