Good Students Get Cellphones

In the New York times today there is an article on how schools in the NYC public school district are awarding good students with free cell phones and minutes. The plan seems like a bad idea since getting good grades usually takes a significant amount of effort, while getting a job and earning enough money to buy a cell phone would be easier. Even students who are not old enough to legally work may not derive much motivation from the plan. Once a phone is attained, there will be little motivation to keep working for it afterwards. Most importantly, how often does your average 10-year-old use a cell phone anyways? It seems like a Sony Playstation or a PC would be a better motivator since kids tend to prefer electronic toys.