Published: February 09, 2009 03:27 pm      

STUMPTALK: Tons of money and still U.S. education doesn’t stack up

So good education is expensive, eh? American students continue to get badly beaten on international tests by other nations' students who spend less money and have larger average class sizes.

Let us look at the most recent facts coming from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Seventy percent of the countries ranging from Japan to Latvia outperformed America in combined math and science and compete for students.

The Pacific Research Institute reported that among the 32 countries participating in the latest OCED assessment, America led in teaching hours per public school year – 1080 – compared to the international average of 803. Germany and the Netherlands average 773 hours, Finland 600, Korea 575 and Japan 500 or half the American hours.

Apparently students require quality teaching time not quantity. Nor does money seem to be an issue. California has the eighth highest economy in the world and spends $40 billion on K-12 yet ranks 48th among states in basic reading and math performance. American cumulative spending per student between the ages of 6-15 is $80k per year resulting in the average math score being 475 out of a possible 1000. Sweden spends as much but scores 100 points higher while Slovakia spends $15k with an average score of just below 500.

Therefore, as study after study has shown, there is no correlation between money spent and educational performance. Standardized testing and school report cards indicate this fact plus just how much of our educational dollars are being wasted. Washington, D.C. is a recent example of what can be accomplished when dollars are spent wisely and competition abounds. The District spends $13,400 per pupil per year on the worst academic performance in America; ranked last in math scores and second to last reading scores in urban public school systems in America according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The recently begun DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) provides tuition vouchers for students K-12 allowing students to attend participating private schools.

Recently the Department of Education found that nearly 90 percent of OSP students have higher reading scores than their peers at about half the cost. Allowing parents to pick schools as they pick other products results in higher learning and less money spent. In other words, let competition dictate how schools perform just as corporations must compete for performance or dollars spent. Success in the marketplace depends on producing the best product at the least cost. Should not education be held to these same standards so that America might compete successfully in the world?