I just read an interesting article by Kara Jesella in this month’s Teen Vogue about a new trend in academics – some schools are paying students for getting good grades through a new program run by the National Math and Science Initiative.

Some schools are offering $100 per passing score of AP (advanced placement) tests in subjects like calculus and chemistry. And the money can add up. According to the article, students at 31 high schools in New York City were offered up to $1,000 each for passing AP tests. (The AP program allows students to take college-level courses and earn credit or advanced standing at most of colleges and universities by taking the tests.)

When I was a student, I knew of parents who provided incentives to their children for getting good grades (a new car, more freedom, a financial bonus), but the idea of schools themselves rewarding students for academic achievement is new to me. And while I’m all for students working hard to set and reach their goals, I have to ask myself, does it come with the same sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when it all boils down to being paid in cash for a job well done?

No surprise, the program has its critics. From the article:

“Samuel P. Scavella [principal of Northeast Health Science Magnet High School] says that it’s a good idea to give students incentives ‘to do things that are going to be beneficial to their life.’ Once they get used to succeeding, ‘the need for rewards fades away’ and students want to do well just for the satisfaction of doing well.

“But Robert Schaeffer, of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing disagrees. ‘It may be a good thing to see more kids taking AP courses…but the question is, what happens when they get to college and they are not paid for each grade? We need to teach kids the importance of learning in its own right…”

Increased incentives also results in many more students choosing to sign up for multiple AP tests, each at a hefty price tag of $86 dollars (although financial aid is available and some schools cover the costs). Still, some studies have shown that even though students are taking more and more tests, their pass rate is decreasing, which leads me to believe the real reason for students lining up the tests is the hope of a serious pay day.

While I am in support of the National Math and Science Initiative’s goal in trying to push students to work excel in math and science, something about this whole program doesn’t sit right with me. In the years since I’ve graduated from college and paid my dues in the work world, I’ve learned the hard way that the only true motivator – the kind that pushes you to succeed in a way that is meaningful and self-fulfilling – has to come from within. Sure, it may feel great to cash a check you earned through a test score, but if that’s a primary motivator, can you truly own the joy of the accomplishment?

What are your thoughts?

If you’re a fan of comedian Amy Poehler, then you’ll love what she’s doing for girls. Amy and her friends / co-creators Meredith Walker and Amy Miles have gotten together to launch Smart Girls at the Party, an online show sponsored by Barbie that celebrate girls who are changing the world by being themselves. That’s what Smart Girls Know is all about, so you know we love this new show!

The first episode (below) features a fantastic 10-year-old writer named Cameron who shares her writing process with Amy and Meredith, along with wackly musical interludes and general sillyness. But what’s great about this new show is that at its heart is the notion idea that girls are capable of doing so many things and their stories should be heard! Kudos to Amy P., Meredith, and Amy M. for bringing this awesome vision to life!

Now sit back, and enjoy the show!

If you’re a fan of comedian Amy Poehler, then you’ll love what she’s doing for girls. Amy and her friends / co-creators Meredith Walker and Amy Miles have gotten together to launch Smart Girls at the Party, an online show sponsored by Barbie that celebrate girls who are changing the world by being themselves. That’s what Smart Girls Know is all about, so you know we love this new show!

The first episode (below) features a fantastic 10-year-old writer named Cameron who shares her writing process with Amy and Meredith, along with wackly musical interludes and general sillyness. But what’s great about this new show is that at its heart is the notion idea that girls are capable of doing so many things and their stories should be heard! Kudos to Amy P., Meredith, and Amy M. for bringing this awesome vision to life!

Now sit back, and enjoy the show!

If you are a budding novelist or short story writer, don’t forget to submit your writing to Seventeen Magazine‘s 2009 Fiction Contest! Send in your short fiction sample (500 words max) to Seventeen, and you’ll be entered to in the contest where you could win a $2,500 cash prize from Scholastic, a chance to be published in Seventeen, lunch with Meg Cabot, and a high-performance laptop powered by Intel.

You must be between the ages of 13-21 to enter. Click here for all the details!

Oh, and don’t forget the deadline! Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2008.

I just read an article in The New York Times about recent studies having to do with girls and the way they communicate with friends. These studies have found excessive talking with friends about problems can actually make your situation worse! Why? Because frequently or obsessively talking about the same problem can spin into a “potentially contagious and unhealthy emotional angst.”

According to the article, the fact that today’s girls are in constant contact with friends through email, texting, Facebook, and instant messaging, means they’re dwelling on their problems and dramas more than may be good for them. This over-sharing of problems among friends has been given the name “co-rumination.”

When I read this, I thought back to one of my first jobs out of college. While the job had its benefits, including the fact that’s it where I met one of my dearest friends, ultimately both my friend and I (we also shared a cubicle) grew dissatisfied with our jobs to the point where we spent every single day bitching and moaning about our lot in life over lunch. The result? Our unhappiness brewed and festered. We returned to the office each afternoon with a chip on our shoulders the size of a small SUV.

So I can see how obsessively talking about problems with a friend can make matters worse. But on the other hand, it did bring my friend and I closer together, since we experienced this together and bonded over our shared misery.

The article points out another potential side effect of negative girl talk – “emotional contagion” or “contagious anxiety,” which is the phenomenon when another person’s negative thoughts or anxiety affect another person’s mood. According to the article, people who live with others suffering from depression tend to become depressed themselves.

So if this new research is true, what’s the solution? I’m a huge advocate of seeking out friends to share with, commiserate with, and get support from. Perhaps the key to making sure that your girl talk stays in a good place is to share with friends about what’s going on, but start noticing when the same depressing topic becomes the focal point of every conversation. And if you’re not working on finding a positive solution to the problem, cut yourself off from the negative speak and move on to another topic!

Are you a serious computer techy? The National Center for Women and Information Technology is accepting self nominations for their NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing, which recognizes high school girls for their computing-related achievements. Awardees are selected for their demonstrated, outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology/computing; solid leadership ability; good academic history; and plans for post-secondary education.

Applicants must be high-school girls in the U.S. Each applicant will identify a geographic region in her application based on either the applicant’s primary residence or the location of the school attended by the applicant. Preference will be given to students who are high school juniors or seniors during the 2008-2009 academic year.

Each qualified awardee will receive:

• $500 in cash

• a laptop computer, provided by Bank of America

• a trip, including airfare for nonlocal winners, some meals, and lodging, all provided by Bank of America, for each awardee and one accompanying parent or legal guardian, to attend the Bank of America Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony, March 7, 2009, held in Charlotte, North Carolina

• an engraved award for both the student and the student’s school

Award Process
Applicants need to complete the self-nomination form online and submit the supporting documentation via mail or fax (address and fax number included on the Cover Sheet) by December 1, 2008.

To find out more and apply online, visit the site here and good luck!

It’s Election Day! If you’re over 18, don’t forget to vote! And if you’re under 18, do your part by encouraging parents and aunts and uncles and teachers and any other adults you come in contact with to get their bums to the polls!

And if you don’t wanna listen to me, listen to Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, and friends:

It’s Election Day! If you’re over 18, don’t forget to vote! And if you’re under 18, do your part by encouraging parents and aunts and uncles and teachers and any other adults you come in contact with to get their bums to the polls!

And if you don’t wanna listen to me, listen to Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, and friends:

Do characters on the televisions shows you watch engage in risky sexual behavior? Do they have unprotected sex? Is attention called to birth control? STDs?

These are some of the things researchers at the RAND Institute looked at in their three-year study about teen pregnancy and television. The study found that teens who watched the “most sexy programming were at double the risk of becoming pregnancy or causing a pregnancy compared with those who watched fewest such programs.”

Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist who led the research, says: “The television content we see very rarely highlights the negative aspects of sex or the risks and responsibilities. So if teens are getting any information about sex they’re rarely getting information about pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.”

The study also notes that even though teen pregnancy rates have declined in the past fifteen years, they are high compared with other industrialized countries – around 1 million girls ages 15-19 become pregnant ever year. But what’s even more shocking is that 20% of all sexually active teen girls become pregnant.

I challenge you to start noticing how those hot and steamy scenes in your favorite TV shows or movies play out. Is birth control mentioned? Sexual history? While I realize that bringing up STDs might be a mood-wrecker, it seems to me that shows aimed at teen audiences, like Gossip Girl and 90210, are doing viewers wrong by not getting real about sexual relationships. When you consider that some schools advocate an abstinence-only policy in Sex Ed, there are thousands of teens who aren’t necessarily getting the info they need to make smart decisions when it comes to sex.

What do you think? Is it irresponsible for television and movie producers to portray sexual situations without addressing the very real consequences of unprotected sex?