Focus on Funding: No, it's not the problem.
Posted by Erasmas Underwood on Monday, January 2, 2012
Under: Understanding LoD
Recall this image from the home page:
Certainly, it sounds nice when we say, "If we don't increase funding for our schools, children won't have the resources they NEED to learn! There is no other way." It is what we call a feel-good argument; that is, it has no real merit, but it makes you feel like a good person. Anyone who doesn't agree with this idea is indicted as being anti-school.
However, we can and should look at this objectively. The United States, as the above graph demonstrates, spent more per student than nearly every country in the OECD just in 2009. Switzerland was the only exception. However, during the same year, the OECD held a PISA test in its member countries, and the United States didn't score at the top, near the top, or even close to near the top. In science we scored just slightly above average (502); in reading we scored exactly average (500); and in math we scored significantly below average (487). Our average score would be 496.33333... So in other words, our students aren't the second-best even though we spend the second-most per student. Our students are average, at best.
The truth is, it's not just an issue of funding. Funding is necessary, but it's not the answer to every school problem that comes our way--which is how we currently treat it. When we see a problem, we just throw money at it as if we can literally buy the intelligence of our students. Education doesn't work like that.
The "spend more and hope it works out" strategy isn't working in America overall, and it's not working for our schools. It's biting us in the butt: Now, the State of Missouri doesn't have enough money to fund its own school funding formula, and as a result, Missouri lawmakers are considering changes.
This is what LEARN, or DIE has been saying all along: funding alone won't work. The system itself has to be set up correctly. We already spend a relatively high amount per student, and this has failed to translate into a relatively smart student body. The "spend more and hope it works out" strategy simply isn't the way to go. We need real education reform.
Certainly, it sounds nice when we say, "If we don't increase funding for our schools, children won't have the resources they NEED to learn! There is no other way." It is what we call a feel-good argument; that is, it has no real merit, but it makes you feel like a good person. Anyone who doesn't agree with this idea is indicted as being anti-school.
However, we can and should look at this objectively. The United States, as the above graph demonstrates, spent more per student than nearly every country in the OECD just in 2009. Switzerland was the only exception. However, during the same year, the OECD held a PISA test in its member countries, and the United States didn't score at the top, near the top, or even close to near the top. In science we scored just slightly above average (502); in reading we scored exactly average (500); and in math we scored significantly below average (487). Our average score would be 496.33333... So in other words, our students aren't the second-best even though we spend the second-most per student. Our students are average, at best.
The truth is, it's not just an issue of funding. Funding is necessary, but it's not the answer to every school problem that comes our way--which is how we currently treat it. When we see a problem, we just throw money at it as if we can literally buy the intelligence of our students. Education doesn't work like that.
The "spend more and hope it works out" strategy isn't working in America overall, and it's not working for our schools. It's biting us in the butt: Now, the State of Missouri doesn't have enough money to fund its own school funding formula, and as a result, Missouri lawmakers are considering changes.
This is what LEARN, or DIE has been saying all along: funding alone won't work. The system itself has to be set up correctly. We already spend a relatively high amount per student, and this has failed to translate into a relatively smart student body. The "spend more and hope it works out" strategy simply isn't the way to go. We need real education reform.
In : Understanding LoD