Capital Gains Academic Incentive Program 
Press release
August 21, 2008

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Government of the District of Columbia
District of Columbia Public Schools

DCPS to Implement an Academic Incentive Program with Capital Gains

Today Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) plans to team up with the Innovation Lab at Harvard University to implement an exciting and rewarding pilot program this fall.

Capital Gains

Inspired and created by Professor Roland Fryer of Harvard University, the pilot, dubbed Capital Gains will reward middle school students based on their attendance, behavior and other academic indicators (to be determined), such as homework completion and grades. Participating schools will be selected from DCPS’ portfolio of 28 schools serving the middle grades.

According to Mayor Fenty, “We believe middle school is a critical point in a student’s academic development. By sparking an interest in achievement, we’re seeking to encourage more students to be successful.”

How it Works

Schools will track student performance on several metrics through an online database, created specifically for the program, and will reward them with cash every two weeks. Money will be deposited into student bank accounts.

Past Successes

Professor Fryer has worked with other urban school districts including Chicago and New York. His work in New York with the Spark pilot was successful in engaging parents and students. A recent survey concluded the following:

• 96 percent of schools report students excited about rewards.
• 91 percent of schools report increased focus on exams.
• 59 percent of schools report improved classroom performance. 

The survey also found that capable students with self-control problems, high achieving and low achieving students, including those who have been held back were all motivated by the incentive program. Forty percent of Spark schools indicated students are "mostly saving" rewards.

Participating DCPS students may begin receiving financial rewards as early as Oct. Fourteen of the school system’s 28 schools serving grades 6, 7 and 8 will be selected to participate.

“The Capital Gains initiative is one more tool we can add to our arsenal of programs and initiatives designed to re-engage students and increase their potential to achieve at high levels,” said Chancellor Rhee. “These short-term incentives while impactful are intended to ultimately spark our students’ long-term interest in their own education.”