The Oxford School District has introduced an incentive in which students with perfect attendance for the month will be entered into a drawing to win a free pair of customizable Nike Dunks. Superintendent Bradley Roberson and his wife, Nicole Roberson, created and funded this initiative to encourage students to have better attendance.
Bradley Roberson created this reward system because he and his son, Cullen Roberson, share a hobby of collecting sneakers. They thought that it would be an effective way to encourage students to come to school more often.
“It started about two or three years ago when my son told me I dress like an old man, and they [my family] ended up getting me a pair of Dunks for Christmas,” Bradley Roberson said. “It was the first pair of Dunks I had.”
Bradley Roberson chose shoes as the reward because getting shoes is something he and his son enjoy, so he knew the students would be able to appreciate it as well. He thought shoes would be a fun way to bond with students.
”I have probably collected 10-15 pairs since then [getting my first pair],” Bradley Roberson said. “It is just something that we both like, so it was just an idea for us [my family] to be able to give back with something that we enjoy and something we knew the students would enjoy as well.”
Bradley Roberson hopes this will make a difference. Encouraging regular attendance is important to allow students to succeed in school, and the Roberson family has found a creative way to promote good attendance. This program has shown early success, and Bradley Roberson is optimistic that it will serve to encourage attendance as well as individual accountability.
“We hope that it makes students want to come to school more often–that is the goal–but at the same time, we hope we can find ways to intrinsically motivate them to understand the importance of coming to school and learning because of the impact that it has on life after they graduate high school,” Bradley Roberson said. “Coming to school is important for two reasons: to get the education and to make sure you are instilling a habit of personal responsibility in yourself.”
Nicole Roberson believes anything that would encourage kids to come to school more often is worth it, even if that means incentivizing them in a positive way. Incentives can be a great way to encourage students to put forth more effort because they are more inclined when they are offered something in return.
“I wish we did not have to give incentives, but a lot of times that positive reinforcement helps to create better habits,” Nicole Roberson said. “This just seemed like a good thing to try out. It will be neat to see if there has been a change after several months. Will the attendance have improved? And if it has, it will be something that will continue for a long time.”
Dylan Cohron, one of the winners of the Nike Dunks, felt accomplished after winning the shoes because he went to school every day not knowing he could benefit from it, and he ended up winning a brand new pair of shoes.
“I had absolutely no clue that I could win Nike Dunks for perfect attendance,” Cohron said. “I was very surprised when I found out. I felt proud of myself for just coming to school every day not knowing that I could get something out of it, and now I do.”
Bradley Roberson is very thankful for all of the positive feedback he has received from social media about giving away the shoes. He believes it is a way for him and the administration to bond with the students and people involved in the Oxford School District.
“We post them on social media, and all of the social media posts have been incredibly positive,” Bradley Roberson said. “It has been something that connects school administration and district office administration with our students and with our community, and that is what is most important.”
