The Learning Makes a Difference Foundation effort has sparked a needed conversation about how to best motivate students to learn. It could not have come too soon.

"Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytical Report on High School Graduation," by Christopher B. Swanson, reports nationwide high school graduation rates at only 69.9 percent. Georgia lags even that, with a graduation rate of 56 percent.

The Alliance for Excellent Education states, "Each year over 59,300 students in Georgia do not graduate." The cost to Georgia? More than $15.4 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over the lifetimes of the 2007 dropouts alone. In his piece, "Learning and Earning," (Education Week, June 12, 2007) Swanson reported that, on average, students who graduate from high school with no further education earn 42 percent more than those who do not graduate.

Moreover, the 2001 Hart-Rudman Commission identified the nation's failure in math and science education as the second-biggest threat to our national security. A moral imperative calls for new approaches.

While it would be great if all students were self-motivated, clearly they are not. The learning foundation is trying what works everywhere else —- incentives. By focusing on innovative learning programs, new ideas and pioneering approaches, the LMD Foundation believes we will get the breakthroughs we need to motivate our students to learn.

The "Learn and Earn," program, funded by Charlie Loudermilk through the learning foundation, and championed by Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts, replicates what many parents have successfully done for years —- providing incentives for academic performance.

"Cities in Crisis" listed Fulton County schools' graduation rate of 67 percent (today's figures show it at 79.1 percent). This is higher than the state average, because of the school system practicing its motto of "Students Come First." This is exhibited in the system's willingness to try innovative programs, providing their students with every opportunity to succeed.

Designed to provide students with incentive and educational support to improve their math and science abilities, key components of "Learn and Earn" include:

> Focusing on students who were underperforming in math and science.

> Enabling students to earn up to $8 per hour for participating in after-school sessions for two hours, twice per week.

> Tying incentive pay to student performance.

> Providing master instructors as tutors.

> Keeping the instructor-to-student ratios near 1-to-10.

> Using independent third parties to evaluate results.

> Providing positive earning alternatives to part-time jobs.

As one of the instructors noted, the cash was the incentive that "hooked" the students, but it is the student-teacher interaction that motivated them to stay and learn.

The results so far are encouraging:

The instructors report that all of the participants have improved their performance in math and science.

One student who initially sat, book closed, not interested or involved —- is now actively engaged in learning math.

Another student told me, "I was failing." The key word in the sentence is "was." He is now passing. He believes he can succeed and is excited about learning.

One parent told us, "This program has turned my child around."

We have only started, but it is a good start.

Learning Makes a Difference is encouraged by the enormous interest. But some have already decided one way or the other whether it will work. The truth is, right now we don't know. So, let's wait. The statistical report by EmStar Research regarding this pilot will be completed this summer and available at www. lmdfoundation.org.

Until then, if the "Learn and Earn" pilot program continues to stimulate a dialogue on how best to engage and motivate students, while improving participants' performance, then it will be a success.

What we know now is that students are taking ownership of their studies and forming an appreciation for learning. Learn and Earn does not purport to be "the" answer, but it is a building block toward answering the question: How do we create the desire, motivation and engagement among students so they are eager to learn?

> Jackie Cushman is president of the board of directors of Learning Makes a Difference Foundation Inc. Her group is piloting the "Learn and Earn" program in Fulton County schools.