Tampa charter school's new 'BIZI' currency credited with changing culture on campus

TAMPA, Fla. - BIZI debuted this school year at IDEA Hope K-8. It's an incentive program that rewards a variety of good student behaviors. 

What we know:

"BIZI is like IDEA's mini version of Amazon," IDEA Hope K-8 Student Council President Legacy Mann said. 

On BIZI delivery day, IDEA Hope students are extremely busy. 

"It's almost like a little bank, so the scholars, once they're meeting expectations, following core values, academically, attending school, dress code, they get points in their account," IDEA Hope K-8 Cultural Interventionist Magdalena Taylor said. 

Deliveries happen every two weeks. The rewards range from tasty treats, like candy and chips, to big-ticket items, like scooters and video games. There are also clothes, school supplies and even experiences, like lunch with a teacher or a pizza party for class.

"It kind of just gives them a sense of belonging and a sense of being responsible in the sense of you're responsible for your own actions, so if you want to succeed, you see success, you have to earn it," Taylor said. 

What they're saying:

School staff say something as small as a bag of Takis or bottle of Gatorade has made a massive impact on campus. 

"Referrals have decreased. We don't have as many referrals coming in because scholars are meeting expectations. I think once they get the opportunity to take accountability, that really kicked in," Taylor said. "They feel self-worth in themselves, and they're happy, so I'm happy for them, and it brings me joy seeing it."

What's next:

 School staff hope to add more experiences to the BIZI rewards, like class field trips.