1. I'm just wondering Roger, why you would chose milk to take away from Jared? Does he love it so much or what? I'm thinking I'd take away desert but that's why I'm wondering, not attacking.
I see nothing really wrong with this reward. I did bribe my boys for some things and a Happy Meal is a very small but nice treat. Might give them some bragging rights and might actually work for some kids who may not ever get McDonald’s any other time.

Posted at 3:55PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Joy

2. Jared really does like milk and he gets plenty at home (our kids drink milk and water for the most part; every once in a while, they have juice.) The real significance of the milk at school, however, is the independence he feels in getting his own milk at school. So, hopefully, he's learning that if he does what he's supposed to do, he gets to do things he likes.

Posted at 6:37PM on Dec 10th 2007 by roger.sinasohn

3. I have no problem with it. The school district is saving money that can be spent on something else and it is still up to the parent whether or not they want to dole out the reward. The report cards are directed to the parents, not the students and in some school districts they are mailed home so that the children do not even get a chance to see them.

I realize that advertising in schools can be tricky, and McDonalds is not a place that my children choose, nor do I allow it (health reasons) most of the time. Either way, I am the adult in the household and I can make the final call.

Posted at 4:15PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Karen

4. Well, I'm 100% opposed to advertisements in schools, and I would be livid if my kids came home with a report card bribing them with McDonald's. We don't eat at McDonald's, ever, period, end of story. When my daughter's school advertised name brand snacks (Cheetos, Frito Pies) as part of their school lunches, and had grammatically incorrect Apple ads on the walls, it was bad enough, but this would send me over the top.

Then again, the corporate infiltration of our supposedly public schools is part of the reason I'm choosing to homeschool my sons (and would have homeschooled my daughter, but her father said no), so it would be an issue for us. If we want to reward them, we'll give them a gift card to our favorite ice cream place or toy store with their report cards.

Posted at 4:43PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Judy

5. We do not pay for grades, we never have! I would be furious if the envelope came home with an ad on it for anything!

Posted at 6:32PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Amy

6. Not to attack your decision in anyway... But why milk? I understand the reasoning behind the incentive, if he really enjoys milk. However, it seems like he's making a very good food choice there. If he was choosing sugary juice or soda, that's different, but milk has a lot of nutritional benefits. Why wouldn't you take away a food pleasure that has less nutritional value?

Posted at 6:34PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Rachel

7. It's not so much about the food pleasure, but about the feeling of independence he gets from ordering his own milk. He generally drinks nothing but milk and water; he gets plenty of milk at home, so we're not worried about that.

As for soda and juice, he's never had soda and doesn't drink much juice.

Posted at 6:45PM on Dec 10th 2007 by roger.sinasohn

8. Sounds like somebody has hired a marketing whiz that is earning his (or her) pay! My family only eats at McDonald's once or twice a year and we eat healthy enough the rest of the time that if it takes getting an extra burger or three a year to get good grades, I don't think it would hurt anything. Do I really LOVE that they are specifically marketing to little kids? Not really, but it would rate low on my list of things to be upset and raise sand about.

Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/

Posted at 7:46PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Jan Bay

9. Gosh, now all those kids are gonna know about McDonalds. The secret is out!

I think it is OK. It's only once in a while and it probably does encourage a bit more studying. The parents can always say no to the happy meal.

Personally I believe that self-motivation will not develop if we start with external motivation at a young age. Better to let kids find out what happens when they don't try hard. Once in a while, e.g., a reward for a term report card, is very nice, but on a daily or weekly basis, I would not provide an external reward.

And I agree with the prior posters about the milk. He will be hungry and make up for it by eating something less nutritious. His hunger may also make it harder for him to do a good job in the afternoon. Personally I would be more likely to incentivize milk drinking than schoolwork at that age, if necessary.

Posted at 9:16PM on Dec 9th 2007 by SKL

10. While I agree that kids need to learn self-motivation for long term good, I don't think that grades provide enough incentive to qualify. I failed two classes in the 8th grade and had to take summer school. Big deal. It was four weeks for four hours a day. It gave me a way out of the house during the summer!

I don't have a problem with using external motivators.

One downside is the sibling factor. My brother always did incredibly well with his grades. If you're sending this home to a single-parent household, will that parent then have to "reward" the other child since that's where they will all be for lunch anyway?

Posted at 8:05AM on Dec 10th 2007 by RobMonroe

11. Do you object to the Boxtops 4 Education shameless marketing scam for General Mills products in the schools too?
http://www.boxtops4education.com/

Posted at 9:55PM on Dec 9th 2007 by Nancy Toby

12. This has been going on for more years than I can count. When I was a kid, we were rewarded for perfect attendance with tickets to a White Sox game. Good grades were rewarded with coupons from the local ice-cream place.

In my early working years, I knew parents who had children that received coupons to Chuck E. Cheese - x number of tokens for each A. Movie passes, gift certificates from local restaurants, coupons for free bowling games. All of those things have been around as rewards for grades for years and years.

And each time, we found out about it because either the bulletin boards in the school were littered with flyers about the program, or there was a little flyer inserted in the report card envelope itself.

So, the problem here appears to be Dreaded Public Enemy #1: McDonald's. HORRORS!!! Now (as SKL already pointed out) the kids will know that McDonald's exists! And they might get fat just because there's an ad on the envelope. Have these kids no parents? Do those parents hold so little sway over their children that when the child says, "Mommy, I wanna go to McDonald's", that mommy can't say... NO? Just because there's a coupon there doesn't mean that it has to be used.

The thing that bothers me the most about this story isn't the 'reward' of McDonalds for good grades. It's the fact that taxes to support public education are so high, and yet, public schools continue to cry 'poor' and solicit advertising on top of raising our taxes over and over again. What on earth are they doing with all the money they have control over?

Posted at 10:34AM on Dec 10th 2007 by LS

13. LS, I think all that extra tax money is going toward gay sensitivity education, condoms, and dealing with the discipline and academic problems that result from permissive child rearing. Oh, and the legal costs of figuring out all the things Christians aren't allowed to do in school.

Posted at 1:45PM on Dec 10th 2007 by SKL

14. The report cards are directed to the parents, not the students...

ah, if only! on another blog, there were many stories of children throwing fits when denied this promised prize, and in general it caused a great deal of begging for McDonalds. of course parents can exercise their power to deny, but that's not the same as just giving guidance of their own on what is a reward and what is a decent meal...

Posted at 4:54PM on Dec 10th 2007 by acm

15. Hmmm... child pitches a fit when he can't have a happy meal? Guess that means he doesn't really deserve it, now does it? Easy enough.

As for the meal being a "reward" - that's easy enough to circumvent. "Honey, we have our own reward system in our house. That McDonald's ad on your envelope is just a coupon. We won't be using it." period.

Posted at 6:05PM on Dec 10th 2007 by LS

16. How the world has changed. When my mom didn't want to do something, she just said "no, I don't want to do that." That was all there was to it. Even when I was asked to try out for the prestigious citywide children's choir, my mom said no, SHE wasn't interested. End of story. If we protested, she might add "too bad, I'm sad." Now it seems parents are scared of what their kid will do if they say "no." No wonder so many youths are out of control.

I decide where I'm going to take my kids on any given day. The fact that they have a coupon for something I don't approve of doesn't change that. They can use the coupon for scratch paper or play restaurant or donate it or sell it or save it for when they are 16 and can buy their own car.

However, I do think the only reason Roger has a problem with this is that it's McDonalds, which, along with Wal-Mart, he hates for some political-oriented reason, not because happy meal prizes are going to ruin our children's lives.

Another thing, I think this is a lot better than what many teachers do - e.g., have "pizza day" for their class if everyone's done well enough for long enough. What if I don't want my kid eating pizza? It's a lot harder to say no to that than to using a coupon that was sent home.

Posted at 6:44PM on Dec 10th 2007 by SKL

17. "I do think the only reason Roger has a problem with this is that it's McDonalds, which, along with Wal-Mart, he hates for some political-oriented reason"

Actually, I never said I have a problem with this. I'm not convinced it's harmless, but neither am I convinced it is a problem. As for McDonald's, actually, I don't hate them. Of all the fast food restaurants, they are my favorite, period. They have, in my opinion, the best fries, shakes, and nuggets.

I even did my obligatory stint at the Opera House McDonald's here in SF. I enjoyed it immensely and learned a lot. It was a great experience. I'm very glad it was only for one summer.

When we were planning to have kids, one of the things my wife and I agreed on was that we would do our best not to take our kids to McDonald's or any other fast food place. Of course, that didn't happen, but I think it's a good goal to shoot for. And our kids are much more likely to ask to get Japanese or burritos than fast food.

As for Wal-Mart, my dislike is purely financial -- I don't like the financial costs that communities bear when they have a Wal-Mart in their midst.

Posted at 6:59PM on Dec 10th 2007 by roger.sinasohn

18. Hell, My parents never reward me for good grades, not that I care much, I usually get As, but they want A+s. So the merit system in some households may be different than others, so if you get 3 As and a reward, your parents may not see that as good, they may want more As, or A+s. (If you haven't noticed, I'm not a parent, I am a child.)

Posted at 7:04PM on Dec 10th 2007 by WishICouldHack

19. 1. I have nothing against McD's.. in fact I often defend it because it gets poopoo'd on too much IMO, but I AM against this. I don't think it's right to have ads in report cards.

2. I do believe in rewarding for good grades.. it's what kids care about more than the grade itself. I don't think it should be money or food. If money perhaps extra put into the 'when you turn 16 and want a car fund' or something, but I think incentives work better. Extend the curfew for good grades, make it earlier for poor grades for example.

Posted at 12:59PM on Dec 11th 2007 by Laura