I am so pleased to announce that it’s been another successful year for Paid for Grades! With the largest group of participants in the program’s ten-year history, students, educators, and schools walked away with nearly $123,000 in donations and awards this year!
We celebrated the winners May 18th at Hollins High School in St. Petersburg in our largest and most successful ceremony yet. More than 100 ninth graders from three different Pinellas County high schools went home with an extra 500 bucks in their pockets. Mentors, for their part, took home $400 each, while the school earned $100 per participating student for programs and supplies.
It has been my extreme pleasure to be able to give back to our community in such a direct and unique way. At the end of each school year, the continued growth and success of the Paid for Grades program reinforces the positive impact we’re having on the kids in our community.
How Paid for Grades Works
Paid for Grades is a semester-long program offered to students and mentors at participating high schools in Pinellas County. Teachers and administrators work alongside the Pinellas Education Foundation to identify and enroll students who historically perform below grade level.
Students receive tutoring to raise their grades and improve their reading ability, in order to realize their full potential. To accomplish this, we ask them to meet preset benchmarks for these figures, and complete a 12-part course of online workshops focused on improving study habits, stress management, budgeting, and job interview preparedness.
Those students who accomplish this receive a $500 cash prize—simple as that. We also provide a reward for the mentors, and for participating schools.
This year has been very special, with so many new students participating in the program, and 123 kids successfully completing. That is quite a number to be proud of, and I am over the moon that we get to be a part of their success.
I think the coolest part of Paid for Grades is that we’re rewarding these kids for their own hard work. We’re teaching them that they can and will achieve if they put their minds to it, and we’re helping to foster an environment that rewards them appropriately.
The financial reward provides an initial incentive, but to see the smiles on these kids’ faces, it’s clear that their renewed self-confidence is the real reward. Paid for Grades shows these kids that ward work really can pay off… in this case, literally.
Paid for Grades: A Wise Investment
I launched Paid for Grades in order to provide kids with the tools and incentives they need to emerge from their shells and take charge of their education. I would argue a majority of the students we’ve met had the desire and talent to succeed. In most cases, they just needed a little push and some positive affirmation.
Throughout the last eight years, my key mission has been to provide a concrete incentive for kids to prioritize their education. In the process, we’re allocating resources to areas where they’re most needed.
The sad fact is that more than one million US students dropout of high school every year. That unfortunate number leaves an indelible mark on our country’s economy. It’s estimated that this phenomenon translates to $44 billion in tax revenue from under- or unemployed workers lost annually. That’s not even accounting for the potential productivity lost here.
I believe those figures can be drastically reduced if communities come together to encourage and empower students at crucial stages in their education. It is our honor and responsibility to provide the tools and guidance they need to successfully navigate our educational system.
The Paid for Grades program continues to grow and reach more students each year. I’m so grateful to the many teachers, mentors, and schools that have been a part of the journey. And, as always, I’m incredibly proud of the students who put in the work to prove to themselves how capable they really are.
Looking Ahead to the Future
As we wrap up the school year and this most successful Paid for Grades season, it’s my hope that even more students will join the program next year. Paid for Grades can make a big difference in a student’s trajectory, and also teach them the value of self-reliance and hard work. I am confident that the skills kids learn through the program can carry them into future academic and career successes.
If you’re interested in getting involved with Paid for Grades, you can learn how here. It doesn’t take much to leave a positive impact, and even the smallest contributions can add up to huge positive changes down the road.
I couldn’t be prouder of our 2022 graduates. These incredible, hardworking students had to overcome social disruptions, economic hardships, and a global pandemic, and they still managed to complete the Paid for Grades curriculum. I know these young men and women will continue to do great things inside—and outside—of the classroom.
