Lorna Archer Stanley, principal of Operation Restoration Christian School, explains how the points system works at the RCS Variety Store run by the school. Behind her are some items that students can "purchase" with their accumulated points. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

WHAT'S the best way to get people to learn in schools?

There are plenty, say the experts.

For Lorna Archer Stanley, it is a system of rewards. Allowing students to amass points which have an imputed economic value.

Lorna Stanley points to a chart that she uses to keep track the progress of each student under the points system. Students can 'purchase' commodities in the school's store with points received for performance in the classroom.

Stanley, a former journalist, says the system she conceptualised is working at the Operation Restoration Christian School, in Trench Town, South St Andrew.

"With this method," she explains, "the children are encouraged to earn points as they learn. These points are then converted into money which the children use to purchase gifts for themselves or their relatives and friends."

No money is actually passed. Instead, the "price" for the gifts are actually in points. For example, a pair of sneakers or a pocket calculator may cost 900 points, while a blouse will cost 300 points. Therefore, after the student has accumulated 900 points, then he/she will be able to "buy" a pair of sneakers or any other smaller items which amount to 900 points.

"This system has been working so well since we implemented it in the school last year," says Stanley, who lived in West Palm Beach, Florida for several years before returning home. "Sometimes the student will even save their points for field trips which they love going on."

In fact, Operation Restoration Christian School, set up six years ago, offers remedial literacy programmes for students between 10 and 18 years-old.

Stanley's aim was to help children in inner-city communities who often drop out of school without basic education. Since its launch in mid-1996 more than 400 youngsters have enrolled in its programme and about 85 per cent have mastered basic literacy skills, according to Stanley.

A few of the students have even sat, and passed, the Grade Nine Achievement Test, enabling them to enter technical high schools.

But Stanley was aware that even in the best of circumstance, motivating young people to learn can be a difficult proposition. It is often worse in inner-city communities.

She, therefore, sought a way to bring tangible value to the learning process -- where her students could link clear rewards to having an education and for hard work.

The results was the system of marking the achievement of education through the RCS Variety Store formed at her school. The store is stocked with clothing and knick-knacks donated by some of Stanley's friends in the United States and foreign visitors to the school.

She also plans to seek help from Jamaican businesses for the project.

Under the system, the students accumulate points for performance in school work. There also points for other areas of performance: attendance, punctuality, cleanliness, assertiveness and so on.

These points, can, over time, be cashed in for something in the store. So a student may save the points for a specific purchase.

"I wanted to get them out of the freeness mentality mode and into an attitude of earning what they want in life," says Stanley. "One could very well describe this system as baiting, much in the same way as one would catch a fish. However, we are in this for the long haul."

The system has grown popular not only with the students.

"Even the parents have become interested and are beginning to see the value of this point system," she adds.

Jennifer Rainford, a guidance counsellor at the Norman Gardens Primary and Junior High School in Kingston, was so impressed by Stanley's system when she volunteered at Restoration last year that in December, she introduced it at her school. It operates in the lower grades -- from one to five.

"I used Mrs Stanley's concept and added my slant to it," says Rainford. "So far I have seen positive things happening among students."

At Norman Gardens, Rainford has started The Supermarket which carries grocery items as well as clothes and shoes. Supplies for The Supermarket are gifts from surrounding businesses in the community.

At Norman Gardens, the end of each school term students' averages in the various subject areas are totalled and points are allotted accordingly. For instance, if a child scores 75 to 89 per cent in a particular subject, he or she will be given 50 points. If the student scores 90 to 100 per cent, then 100 points are allotted.

Those points can be cashed in for goods carried by The Supermarket at a similar value.

"I have seen where a little boy bought a pair of school shoes without spending a cent," says Rainford. "A girl was able to buy a pair of sneakers for her physical education class and another girl bought her father a pair of shoes with just the points they accumulated during the term." commented Rainford.

The students, according to Rainford, are now appreciating the value of hard work and are doing extremely well in their classes.

"Apart from encouraging the students to do well academically, this system has also helped to modify their behaviour, which will hopefully make an impact on wider society, " she says.

Guidance education officer for Region One in the Ministry of Education, Jacqui Moriah, saw the paint system in action at the Norman Gardens school and was impressed.

On the face of it, Moriah would have no qualms recommending that other guidance counsellors try the system at their schools.

"It has already made some positive impression on the young minds when I saw it in practice at (Norman Gardens) school," Moriah says. "It clearly teaches the little ones the value of hard work and enables them to make important decisions when shopping."

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