2003 NAEP Tests Showed That 73% Of Public School 8th Graders Are Not Proficient In Math

According to the American Legislative Exchange Council, the District of Columbia spent more money per pupil in the 2001-2002 school year, $11,009, than every other state except New York. Yet despite this level of spending, the academic achievement of the District of Columbia's students in 2003 was dead last compared to all fifty states.

The council put it best when it said:

"We cannot simply spend our way to better grades, but must make sure that we are making the right kinds of investments in our schools to promote high student achievement."

Simply spending more money will not raise student academic achievement. The money spent on public education must spent the right way. And since the teacher unions like the public education system just the way it is, and will fight any efforts to change it, it is imperative that the power to change the public education system be given to groups other than the teacher unions.

Teacher Unions Are More Powerful Than State Legislators

In 2004 the Washington State government allowed for the creation of charter schools.

The Washington State teachers union, the WEA, did not want charter schools and put forward a ballot measure to defeat the charter school law that the legislator had passed.

That ballot measure passed 58% to 41%, thereby preventing the creation of charter schools in Washington State.

Without the teachers union's influence Washington State would now have public charter schools.

Is there any clearer example of the special interests' priorities trumping the priorities of the common good?

Reported Texas Public High School Graduation Rates Vary Widely

Texas has reported that it's 2003 public high school graduation rate was 84.2%.
The Manhattan Institute reported the Texas 2003 publich high school gradution rate was 69%.

Who are we to believe?

The Public School Monopoly Needs A Lot More Competition

In 2006 there is estimated to be over 48,000,000 PreK - 12 students enrolled in public schools.
The alliance for school choice estimates that 130,000 students are participating in private school choice programs in 2006. This means that less than 3 out 1,000 students were able to leave the public school monopoly and attend private schools. In order for private school choice to provide effective competition to the public school monopoly a significant increase in the availability of private school choice programs will be needed.

There are hopeful signs however:

Over 15% of students in the Milwaukee public school system are exercising private school choice.
Over 69% of students in the New Orleans public school system are exercising public school choice through charter schools.

Scholarship Tax Credits Enjoy Strong Bipartisan Support

On June 2, 2006 the democratic governor of Iowa signed into law a bill allowing for the creation of up to five million dollars in scholarships for students attending k-12 private schools. This school choice legislation enjoyed strong bipartisan support: 49-1 in the state senate, and 75-19 in the state house.

Scholarships funded by tax credits are much more politically popular than vouchers because they are not funded by public dollars. Some parts of the public believe that allowing the use of public dollars for private schools "drains" money from public schools. They believe that this draining of dollars from public to private schools will harm the public schools. Scholarships funded by tax credits are not funded by public dollars and thus cannot "drain" away the money set aside for the public schools. Thus they are not viewed as a threat to the public schools.

Why Teacher Unions Oppose School Choice

A study by the Mackinac center clearly shows why the teacher unions oppose school choice.

% of Michigan Teachers Belonging To A Union At:

Public Schools: 100%
Charter Schools: 3.6%
Private Schools: 0.26%

Charter Schools' Market Share

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the following cities have the greatest percentage of their students attending charter schools:

1. New Orleans, Louisiana 69%
2. Dayton, Ohio 28%
3. Washington, D.C. 25%
4. Pontiac, Michigan 20%
Kansas City, Missouri 20%
Youngstown, Ohio 20%

United States Secretary of Education Is Wrong

The United States Secretary of Education wants to impose more federal regulations on the higher education system.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The American system of higher education is the best in the world. Imposing more government control will just ruin the higher education system just like it has in the K-12 American education system. The independence of American colleges allows them to innovate. In the competitive higher education marketplace good schools attract students and bad schools lose students. Imposing the same standards on all American colleges will take away this ability to innovate. Because state governments impose the same standards on all of their public schools, they are not allowed to innovate with new and different teaching methods. All public schools must follow the same rules and thus cannot differentiate. This lack of differentiation prevents good schools from thriving and bad schools from wilting.

More government regulation for the higher education system is a bad idea.

Tax Credits Are Better Than Vouchers

With vouchers it is possible that your tax dollars could be used to fund schools that you disagree with, such as religious schools teaching a religion different from your own.

With education tax credits you are in control of where your money is sent. Only those schools that you approve of will receive your money.

Teacher Unions In Firm Control Of California Democrats

California recently passed a law, AB 2975, that would have lowered the requirements necessary for California public school students to be deemed proficient. The California standard of proficiency is passing a standardized test of 10th grade english skills and 8th grade math skills. One California democrat said that this standard of proficiency is an "unrealistic requirement for all students."

In the globally competitive marketplace for labor, those people with the highest skills will get the best jobs. Other countries' students are expected to learn skills at far higher levels than 10th grade english and 8th grade math. If the California legislator had succeded in lowering academic standards, then California public school students would have been at a competitive disadvantage to the students from countries that did not have such low academic standards.

Why would the California legislator, in firm control of the Democratic party, want to put California students at a competitive disadvantage to other countries students? Because the democrats in California, like every other state, work not for the students of California but rather the teacher unions of California.
The California democrats wanted to lower the academic standards to prevent the members of the California Teachers Assoication from being subjected to the penalties of the federal No Child Left Behind law. Large numbers of students not meeting the standards of proficieny would have meant sanctions ranging from school reorganizations to students being allowed to transfer out of their schools. The CTA did not want their members to be subjected to such sanctions, thus the CTA's support for AB 2975.

Fortunately republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the legislation.

The day that California's students contribute more money to the democrats than the CTA does is the day that the democrats start working for California's students.

Public School Teachers Should Not Strike

The Detroit school district receives a total $11,631 per student in federal, state, and local aid. Yet despite this large amount of per student funding, larger than what every state but two spends on public education, the Detroit teachers union decided to strike to get a pay raise.

Now we learn that the strike has caused a massive departure of students from the Detroit school district, as many as 25,000 students. This could mean a loss to the Detroit public school district of up to 190 million dollars. This will inevitably lead to massive teacher layoffs. Layoffs of members of the teachers union.

How does the Detroit teachers union figure getting a small pay raise was worth a significant decrease in it's membership due to the coming layoffs?

Public Schools Required To Admit Level 3 Sex Offenders

Washington state recently passed a law requiring teachers to be notified if convicted sex offenders are in their classroom. So what? Wouldn't it be better if level 3 sex offenders are denied admittance to the public schools at all? The problem is that they cannot be denied. Public schools are required to admit anyone and everyone that resides in their district, even if they are a sex offender that "poses a high risk" of further sexual abuse.

In contrast, private schools have the ability to deny admission to level 3 sex offenders.

If a public school student was sexually abused and the sexual abuser was a fellow student, why would you deny a voucher or scholarship tax credit to that student so that they could escape the level 3 sex offender? If you can't get rid of the level 3 sex offender, then why not let the sex offender's victim escape to a safe private school where they would not have to live in constant fear of their sexual abuser?

More Money For Public Schools Does Not Mean Higher Graduation Rates

As shown below, there is no direct relationship between the amount of money spent on public education and the public high school graduation rate. New York, the second highest spender, has a graduation rate of only 58%, while Utah, which spends less on public education than any other state, has a public high school graduation rate higher than the national graduation rate and higher than two of the highest spending states.

Do not believe people who say that spending more money on public schools will increase the public high school graduation rate.


High School Graduation Rates and Per Student Education Spending:

(State: 2003-2004 Per Student Spending: 2003 High School Graduation Rate)


Top 5 States In Per Student Education Spending:


New Jersey: $12,981: 88%
New York: $12,930: 58%
Vermont: $11,128: 78%
Connecticut: $10,788: 82%
Massachusetts: $10,693: 75%


Top 5: $11,704: 76.2%



Bottom 5 States In Per Student Education Spending:


Utah: $5,008: 77%
Idaho: $6,028: 74%
Arizona: $6,036: 71%
Oklahoma: $6,176: 72%
Mississippi: $6,237: 59%


Bottom 5: $5,897: 70.6%


National Average : $8,287: 70%


Sources:
Per Student Spending Statistics: Census Bureau
High School Graduation Rates: Stand Up

Florida Teachers Don't Want To Be Rewarded For Doing A Good Job

The Florida teachers union wants to block bonuses for teachers that are based upon increases in their students' standardized test scores. Why would the teachers be opposed to rewarding themselves for higher student test scores?

Senator Schumer Wrong To Say More Money Is Needed For Public Schools

Senator Schumer of New York says that public schools need more money to raise test scores.
He is wrong. Test scores do not rise with more public school funding. From 1980 to 2000, inflation adjusted spending on education rose 72% yet test scores during that time were flat.

America Is Not Getting Value For It's Education Dollar

Media reports on recent study that shows the following:

America spends more money per student on education than every country but Switzerland.

Among adults age 25 to 34, the U.S. ranks 11th among nations in the share of its population that has finished high school.

6 Reasons To Support Private School Choice

1. Higher Test Scores
Private school students earn higher test scores than public school students, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors.

2. Racial Equality
Private schools do a better job than public schools of closing the academic achievement gap between black and white students.

3. Higher Graduation Rates
Private schools have higher graduation rates than public schools, better even then public schools with selective admission requirements.

4. Better Public Schools
"Public schools do respond constructively to competition, by raising their achievement and productivity."

5. Better Academic Achievement For Badly Performing Public School Students

Harvard professor found the following:

"Not only do currently enacted voucher and charter school programs not cream-skim; they disproportionately attract students who were performing badly in their regular public schools."

and

"Students’ achievement generally does rise when they attend voucher or charter schools."

6. Private School Choice Costs Taxpayers Nothing Extra
Providing private school choice costs taxpayers the same or less than what they already spend on public schools.

Don't Feel Bad For Detroit Teachers On Strike

A parent quoted by CNN says she was supporting the striking teachers of the Detroit public school district because they can't provide for their families "if their salaries are continually being cut."
Whether you agree or disagree with the striking teachers, it should not be out of sympathy for their low pay. The median salary (without counting benefits) of workers in Detroit, Michigan are as follows:

Detroit Elementary School Teachers: $52,727
Detroit High School Teachers: $54,979
Detroit Households In General: $28,069

Competition Helps Public Schools

Opponents of private school choice like to point out a recent study that purports to show public school students doing as well or better than private school students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress standardized test.
Besides being a flawed study, the opponents of private school choice are missing the point. It isn't public schools vs. private schools, but rather government monopolies vs. competitive education markets. When the government school monopolies are introduced to competition, it has been found that "competition is in general good for the public schools."
Opponents of private school choice, like Al Gore, are therefore wrong to say that money being "drained" from public schools via private school choice will harm public schools. Private school choice does just the opposite, it helps the public schools.