Debunking Education Myths

Declining tax revenues and increasing education costs have fueled a fierce debate over funding for public schools that has reached a fever pitch this summer.  Many state legislatures have reacted to the crisis by forcing cuts that have created stormy protests from powerful teacher unions and the education establishment.

As the issue has simmered, the well-heeled education lobby and the news media have combined efforts to spew bogus bromides about the funding and performance of public schools.  At the same time, both groups have branded opponents as Neanderthals unwilling to invest in our children's future.

What began as a civil discourse has boiled over into nasty confrontations between teachers unions and legislators.  For example in Wisconsin,  teachers and their labor union supporters trashed the state capitol to protest the governor's attempts to reduce benefits and weaken bargaining rights to reel in spiraling education costs.

Lost in all the ugliness has been a meaningful dialogue about the future of education.  Instead all sides have reverted to pitched battles over money with seemingly little discourse on such key issues as classroom instruction, student performance and skills needed in the workplace. 

Proponents of throwing more money at education have relied on boilerplate arguments to make their case.  However, upon further scrutiny, most are myths that have been perpetuated by the media.  Here are just a few examples:

1.  The United States spends less than most countries on  education.   This is a favorite of teacher unions, but it is patently false.  By any measurement, the U.S. spends more per pupil on kindergarten through twelfth grade than any of the other 34 wealthiest countries, according to a study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.  By the time an American student graduates, the average tab per student is $110,000 for public schooling.  Yet the center's study found that American students consistently scored at or below the average in reading math and science compared to these same countries. The U.S. government estimates that federal, state and local entities will expend $880.2 billion on education in the current fiscal year.  As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the country spends more than France, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and most of the rest of the world's wealthiest countries. 

2.  Public Schools cannot cut funds without shortchanging students.  Most Americans have no idea where all those billions of dollars go once the cash trickles down to local school districts.  Therefore, it probably comes as a surprise that only 45 cents of every dollar spent in public education qualifies as classroom instruction expenses, according to the U.S. government's definition.  Costs for administration, sports, buildings, maintenance, transportation and supplies make up the remaining 55 cents.  Yet the majority of school districts resist any suggestion to shift spending priorities, instead falling back on more dollars as the only solution.  The education bureaucracy has done a poor job of prioritizing spending to maximize the investment taxpayers are making in public schools.

3.  More funding will improve academic achievement.   This lie deserves its own special wing in the Education Hall of Shame.  Although spending in public schools is at an all-time high water mark, performance has not kept up with the pace of increased funding.  According to a joint study by Princeton University and Brooking Institute, from 1970 to 2008 public education funding increased 150 percent while reading, math and science scores remained essentially flat.   Federal government data shows that Utah, which has the lowest per-student spending in the country, outperforms New York state, which has the highest per-student expenditures.  Only 21 percent of Utah students failed to meet federal measurements for performance, while 38 percent of New York's children fell short. Yet New York spends three times the dollars per pupil that Utah does.  The truth is that academic outcomes depend on how the money is spent, not on how much money is spent. 

4. Getting rid of teachers is the only way to reduce costs in the face of budget cuts.  Whenever school districts are faced with tight funding, administrators' first reaction is to jettison teachers.  This allows school executives to create gloomy headlines about the future of education to spur a public outcry that will pressure legislators to resist funding cuts.   However, a nationwide survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCEA) found that schools average one adult for every nine students.  Adults include teachers, non teaching staff, support services, guidance counselors, librarians, instructional aides and administrative support.  About 52 percent of the school staffs are classified as teachers on average, according to the NCEA.  The other 48 percent always seems to escape the budget axe.  School decision makers should be forced to slice non-teaching jobs before they even consider teacher reductions. 

Until teacher unions and school executives stop the lies about public funding, the nation has little chance to make progress toward solutions for improving education.  Historic trends and credible research have consistently shown that increased funding does not lead to corresponding gains in academic success.

Instead of crying foul, teachers unions and education policymakers need to lead the effort to implement reforms that improve resource allocation for public schools.  They should embrace reducing the school bureaucracy, sacking under performing teachers and focusing more effort on student achievement. 

But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.  If past history is any gauge, the teacher unions and education leaders will continue to resist change, imperiling progress at a time when the nation's need for better educated students was never more acute.