Last week, I blogged about the report out of Chicago that shows that intensive test prep may have actually led to lower scores for students on the ACT test.  This morning, I opened US News & World Report and found their description of a a new study from Stanford University that what appears to work is a reward system, including pizza parties.  There was a 4 percentile increase in reading scores but none in math.

Margaret Raymond, the author of the report, says the gains are more significant when teachers and administrators work together to support the use of rewards. Successful schools included those that rewarded good grades and good behavior with such gifts as concert tickets and MP3 players.

I would be negligent if I did not report that the sample was made up of charter schools and this happened in what they call a “majority” of cases.  Could it be that rewards are only one part of the reforms taking place at these charter schools?  I have not read the report (pdf) yet so I can’t really comment on the study design.   You can read more about Margaret and the Center for Research on Education Outcomes and find additional links to reports about the report here.