These are some issues to be considered for the education debate in the coming election. If you want some idea of the state of America's schools and student performance, or who to vote for, read these stats.

FACT: Learning is not dependent on how much we spend.
The existence of high-poverty, high-achieving schools shows that reform is contingent not on funding, but on the will for excellence. All children can learn, regardless of background. The Heritage Foundation No Excuses project and other groups like the Education Trust have identified many such schools.

In just one year, for example, parents of children in Bessemer Elementary School in Pueblo, Colorado, saw scores rise remarkably on state exams. Over 80 percent of Bessemer's students are eligible for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. School policy changes resulted in students' reading scores improving from 12 percent passing to 64 percent, and in writing from 2 percent passing to 48 percent. The teachers and students accomplished this without additional funding or reductions in class size. They simply devoted more time to classroom instruction and eliminated frivolous non-academic exercises.

FACT: Increased spending has not produced higher achievement.
Over the past 30 years, average per-pupil expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools have nearly doubled, rising from $3,367 in 1970 to $6,584 in 2000 in constant dollars. Class sizes have decreased from 24 to 18 elementary students per teacher and 20 to 14 secondary students per teacher. Yet achievement has not increased accordingly.

The evidence suggests there is little reason to expect that increasing funding will make them produce better results. In a 1999 report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, for example, the National Research Council concluded that "additional funding for education will not automatically and necessarily generate student achievement and in the past has not, in fact, generally led to higher achievement."

In fact, private school children consistently outscore public school students on the NAEP tests, with generally far lower per-pupil costs. A 1996 Cato Institute study found that the average private school tuition nationwide was $3,116, with 67 percent of all private elementary and secondary schools charging $2,500 or less. That is far less than half of the average per-pupil expenditures in public schools.

FACT: Smaller class sizes, computers, and state certification do not correlate significantly with student achievement; teacher mastery of subject matter, however, does.
Teacher unions and their allies in government continually call for smaller classes, new computers, and more certified teachers. Research shows, however, that these approaches have little effect on student achievement.

· The number of public school students per teacher nationwide decreased from 22 in 1970 to 16 in 1999. The number of computers in public elementary and secondary schools increased from a ratio of over 63 students for every computer in 1985 to less than five per computer in 2000. Analysis of NAEP data shows that these policies do not improve learning. The NAEP data also reveal that students whose teachers hold subject degrees in such fields as math or English, rather than education degrees, are more likely to score higher on math or reading tests, especially in the older grades.

· Similarly, the Baltimore-based Abell Foundation has found a lack of correlation between student achievement and state certification, which often requires an education degree. Its October 2001 report, Teacher Certification Reconsidered: Stumbling for Quality, reveals that a teacher's verbal ability is the most consistent predictor of student success.

FACT: School choice is gaining more allies from Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
A richer and more impressive body of research demonstrates that choice improves academic performance of at-risk students, promotes parental involvement, and fosters competition and accountability in public school systems.

A recent survey conducted on behalf of the National Education Association found strong support for such programs: 63 percent of those polled favored legislation that would provide parents with tuition vouchers of $1,500 a year to send their children to any public, private, or charter school. Because of such support, options for parents to put their children in a better school environment are increasing around the country.

· 37 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school laws. As of fall 2001, more than 2,300 charter schools nationwide serve over half a million children.

· 10 states have publicly sponsored private school choice programs, from vouchers to tax credits.

· Under a law signed by President Bush, parents can now save for their children's education expenses in tax-free educational savings accounts.

· More than 50,000 students have benefited from almost 100 privately funded scholarship programs that allow them to attend a school of choice, and another 12,000 have benefited from five publicly funded programs.

During the 2000-2001 school year, almost 2 million children in grades K-12 were being home schooled.

Source from: http://heritage.org

© 2004 by AfroStaff