Paying kids to excel on AP tests: What an American idea!

Great. Another gimmick in education, I thought. Another dopey plan to pay people to do what they ought to be doing anyway.

That was my gut reaction when I spied the huge, honking headline splashed across the top of Monday's Pilot:

"Make the grade, get $100."

It was accompanied by an illustration that featured a supersize Ben Franklin dangling from a fishhook.

Oh, yeah, and in smaller print there was this: "Two Beach schools are part of a program that pays students and teachers for successful tests."

Yet when I stopped hyperventilating and actually read reporter Mike Hixenbaugh's entire story, I was heartened to learn about a creative academic program that seems destined to work.

Best of all, it rests on the purely capitalist assumption that excellence ought to be rewarded - in cash, whenever possible - without bankrupting the public.

In this case, the taxpayers provide good schools. The private sector pitches in to make them even better.

That's the definition of a public-private partnership, as opposed to those developer-welfare programs that city managers around here are always pushing.

Here's how it works: A mostly private foundation - and we'll deal with the "mostly" in a moment - that aims to improve America's standing in science and math achievement, is working in two Virginia Beach high schools to boost enrollment in Advanced Placement classes.

The schools were selected because they have a high percentage of military dependents. (And also because one of the principals discovered the program and asked if his students could take part.)

We all know military families move around. As a result, their children can find themselves in good schools and bad ones. If these students can enroll in demanding Advanced Placement courses, it increases the likelihood that they'll receive excellent instruction, no matter where they are.

It’s all part of the Initiative for Military Families, part of the broader National Math and Science Initiative, funded by philanthropists and public-spirited corporations concerned because several years ago, American high school students ranked 25th in the world in math and 17th in science.

Alarming, no?

Instead of moaning about the abysmal scores and demanding that hardworking taxpayers cough up even more dough for schools, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a number of corporations, such as ExxonMobil, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, pooled their resources to push Advanced Placement classes and - more importantly - successful scores on the AP exams.

Teachers in selected schools receive intensive training, the schools get state-of-the-art science equipment, and the kids who enroll in AP courses get their $87 test fee paid for by the private sector. Best of all, students who score a 3, 4 or 5 on the exams get a bonus of $100. These benefits go to all students, by the way, not just those from underprivileged homes or military dependents.

The organizers try to downplay the cash-for-passing aspect, saying it's a small part of a much more ambitious project.

"Remember, the students have to work for nine months to earn that money," said Rena Pederson, spokeswoman for the Dallas-based National Math and Science Initiative.

The first two high schools in South Hampton Roads to be included are Salem and Green Run. Expect more to follow.

Wait, I promised to address the "mostly" part of the funding formula, didn't I?

Pederson told me that about 97 percent of the funds come from private sources. The remaining 3 percent comes from grant money, often through state and federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation.

There are purists who would denounce the use of any taxpayer dollars - no matter how few - to throw cash at high-performing kids.

I'm not one of them.

Fact is, to remain competitive, American students need to excel at math and science.

If corporations and philanthropists want to toss in a little lesson in capitalism along with the push for academics, well, that's perfect.

Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306, kerry.dougherty@cox.net