EDUCATION NOTEBOOK:
Fact vs. Fiction in the Escalating Education
Debate
September 21, 2004
As we enter the election year spin cycle, special interest
groups and stakeholders of the status quo will ply the public with
some well-worn exaggerations and distortions. Don't be fooled. Know
the facts.
- Fiction : The United States does not spend
enough on education.
- Fact : The United States spends more than $500
billion on K-12 schools. Internationally, it is the big spender.
One of the top three in per-pupil spending, the U.S. rises to first
place when post-secondary spending is added to the equation. But in
terms of achievement, American students are not at the head of the
class. A June 2004 report by the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development compares educational systems and their
outcomes in over 30 countries. It's a sobering view for those who
want the facts.
Highlights of the report can be found here. 1
- Fiction : The federal government has cut
funding for education.
- Fact : The federal government spends more than
ever. Funding for major K-12 programs, including the No Child Left
Behind Act and special education, increased by 43 percent over the
past three years. Head Start funding has reached an all-time high
at $6.8 billion, special education grants have seen a 59 percent
increase in the past four years, and there has been a $3.25 billion
increase in Pell Grant funding for higher education students.
While research suggests no connection between spending and
achievement, no one can make the claim that taxpayers do not spend
enough. In fact, states may have found themselves with more money
than they know what to do with. According to the chairman of the
House Committee on Education, states have billions of unspent
federal funds, some of it left over from the Clinton
administration. For more information on federal spending see the
House Committee on Education and the Workforce's new website entitled
No Child Left Behind Implementation Station lists these
facts and more. 2
- Fiction: The academic status quo is
acceptable.
- Fact : Only 31 percent of fourth graders are
proficient in reading and 32 percent are proficient in mathematics
on the nation's own national indicator of student achievement --
the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Low-income fourth
graders score at half this level. By the 12 th grade, less than a
quarter of students are proficient in math, history, or science. For more NAEP results
click here. 3
- Fiction : Parental choice programs harm public
schools.
- Fact : School choice programs improve the
education experience of individual students while encouraging
public school systems to improve. Research from Harvard shows many
students benefit academically from charter schools and voucher
programs. Harvard and Manhattan Institute researchers have tracked
improvements to the public school system spurred by competition
with choice schools. Even the modest public school choice programs
under the No Child Left Behind Act show promise. A recent study
showed Chicago students who transferred to other public schools
outpaced their peers who remained at poor performing schools. These
studies and others can be found here. 4
1 Or go to
www.oecd.org/document/11/0,2340,en_2649_34515_33712011_1_1_1_1,00.html
2 Or go to http://edworkforce.house.gov/nclb.htm.
3 Or go to http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
4 Or go to www.heritage.org/research/education/schools/schoolchoice_research.cfm