RICHMOND VA. (WTVR) — Some Richmond students now have an extra incentive to do well in school.
Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones and Governor Bob McDonnell teamed up Monday to launch the “Earning by Learning” in City elementary schools.
Second graders get to choose a book selected by their teachers and once they read and understand it, they get a reward.
That reward could be anything from an MP3 player to a bike, depending on the book.
“I think educating our children is something that requires us to be creative and think outside the box,” said Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones.
Governor Bob McDonnell agrees, saying this is a unique way to help improve reading skills.
“Everybody knows if you can read well in 3rd and 4th grade your opportunities to succeed and achieve the American dream go up drastically,” McDonnell said.
The program has already been put in place in schools in Dallas. The district says it saw an increase in third grade reading proficiency in just 15 days.
