The love of learning--that intrinsic desire to gain knowledge and insight into new subjects--was once its own reward. That was altered decades ago when parents started using the proverbial "stick and carrot" to motivate their children to do well in school, or even just show up. Today, educators across the country have taken hold of this approach and are implementing pay-for-performance programs to motivate students to succeed academically. The author discusses the theory behind pay-for-performance programs, the controversy of the previous pay-for-performance programs, and how to start incentive programs.