"positive consequences"?

Positive consequences are important in elementary school because often kids only get attention when they're not doing well. Much of it is negative attention, but it's still attention, and that's what some kids really need. Young children are very short term thinkers, and many do what feels good in the moment, especially if the family doesn't keep an eye o them. They'll watch TV instead of doing homeowrk because they aren't mature enough to anticipate the detention or whatever they get when the teacher finds out. As kids mature, we hope they'll be able to set their own personal goals and feel happy with a good report card or a college acceptance. Ideally, the consequences should be taken over by the family: our son is an artist, and we went to all his school exhibits and celebrated when he achieved a significant goal. Unfortunately, not all families try to be supportive, so kids need other reinforcements. It's sad that the schools have to provide them, but that's the way it is. And there are many ADULTS who have very little self-discipline or motivation unless there's a material reward for achievement. It's the way society has become. If you don't need the rewards, fine. But there are a lot of kids who do. Sad, really.