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http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/NEWS04/706130421/1018/RSS0104
Video: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070612/VIDEO/70612079/1018/RSS0104
5 free cars reward seniors' perfect attendance
The dangling carrot is a lot more enticing than it used to be.
This year, seniors across Middle Tennessee were lured to school with the promise of winning a new car, provided they maintained perfect attendance throughout the year. Tuesday, hundreds came to Nashville to find out if they won one of five cherry red Chevrolet Cobalts as part of the Middle Tennessee Chevy Dealers' "Drive for Perfection" program.
But should students be handed the key to a $15,990 car for doing something they're supposed to do anyway?
Alan Wang doesn't have any objections.
Wang, 18, was one of several Sumner County students who got up every day and went to school, no matter how badly he wanted to stay in bed and snooze.
"It's a long shot, but it gives us something to look forward to," he said. "They say 80 percent of success is showing up. This teaches good values."
Tuesday's winners were Stephanie Huffine, Greenbrier High; Ashley Glyn-Jones, Monterey High; Kevin Williams, Hillsboro High; Christian Rowden, Riverdale High; and Alison England, Wilson Central High.
Robertson saw increase
Emphasis on attendance has increased since the No Child Left Behind law was passed, requiring schools to hit annual attendance benchmarks or face sanctions.
Educators point to evidence that students who attend school regularly perform better on tests and are less likely to fall behind on coursework.
Tennessee defines perfect attendance as someone who attends 98 percent of a district's scheduled days with no unexcused absences.
The state's 2006 attendance goal was 93 percent.
Since the law passed, attendance incentive programs like Drive for Perfection have been popping up all over the country, offering rewards to students for doing something different than getting good grades.
Drive for Perfection was started last year in Robertson County by a former principal, Dickie Stewart, who talked to his new employer, Payne Chevrolet, about ways the Springfield-based dealership could help boost attendance. The results were staggering — the number of seniors with perfect attendance through April was 69, up from 15 the previous year.
Kent Borough, a zone manager for Chevrolet, said the company decided to expand the program to help more districts meet the higher attendance standards.
"In order for students to get an education, they have to be in school," he said. "If we can drive attendance up to the end, it helps everyone out."
Brenda Elliott-Johnson, principal of Metro's Stratford High School, said she's in support of any initiative that rewards students for doing the right thing.
"In the real world, employees are rewarded when they have good attendance on their job and when they have high levels of productivity," she said. "I think that it is important that we reinforce these behaviors in school."
Video: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070612/VIDEO/70612079/1018/RSS0104
5 free cars reward seniors' perfect attendance
The dangling carrot is a lot more enticing than it used to be.
This year, seniors across Middle Tennessee were lured to school with the promise of winning a new car, provided they maintained perfect attendance throughout the year. Tuesday, hundreds came to Nashville to find out if they won one of five cherry red Chevrolet Cobalts as part of the Middle Tennessee Chevy Dealers' "Drive for Perfection" program.
But should students be handed the key to a $15,990 car for doing something they're supposed to do anyway?
Alan Wang doesn't have any objections.
Wang, 18, was one of several Sumner County students who got up every day and went to school, no matter how badly he wanted to stay in bed and snooze.
"It's a long shot, but it gives us something to look forward to," he said. "They say 80 percent of success is showing up. This teaches good values."
Tuesday's winners were Stephanie Huffine, Greenbrier High; Ashley Glyn-Jones, Monterey High; Kevin Williams, Hillsboro High; Christian Rowden, Riverdale High; and Alison England, Wilson Central High.
Robertson saw increase
Emphasis on attendance has increased since the No Child Left Behind law was passed, requiring schools to hit annual attendance benchmarks or face sanctions.
Educators point to evidence that students who attend school regularly perform better on tests and are less likely to fall behind on coursework.
Tennessee defines perfect attendance as someone who attends 98 percent of a district's scheduled days with no unexcused absences.
The state's 2006 attendance goal was 93 percent.
Since the law passed, attendance incentive programs like Drive for Perfection have been popping up all over the country, offering rewards to students for doing something different than getting good grades.
Drive for Perfection was started last year in Robertson County by a former principal, Dickie Stewart, who talked to his new employer, Payne Chevrolet, about ways the Springfield-based dealership could help boost attendance. The results were staggering — the number of seniors with perfect attendance through April was 69, up from 15 the previous year.
Kent Borough, a zone manager for Chevrolet, said the company decided to expand the program to help more districts meet the higher attendance standards.
"In order for students to get an education, they have to be in school," he said. "If we can drive attendance up to the end, it helps everyone out."
Brenda Elliott-Johnson, principal of Metro's Stratford High School, said she's in support of any initiative that rewards students for doing the right thing.
"In the real world, employees are rewarded when they have good attendance on their job and when they have high levels of productivity," she said. "I think that it is important that we reinforce these behaviors in school."
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