| Goatseye said: American education has been going to sh*t because corporate welfare are put over citizen's and we are all paying for it. Why spend more than half of our budget on military complex, when we can invest in American minds to better our future? |
From the National Center for Education Statistics:
US spent $11,700 per student on elementary/secondary education. 31% higher OECD average $9,000
US spent $26,600 per student on post-secondary eduction. 79% higher than OECD average of $14,800
That is, the US spends a hell of a lot more on education than the average of all the other developed countries. Maybe money isn't the problem?
| axumblade said: A lot of Americans can't afford private schools. So defunding public schools will just cause more of a divide between the rich and poor. Though that seems to be the theme of this election. |
My understanding of both Trump's and DeVos' position, is that of school vouchers. Look at the numbers I posted above. The national average cost of private schools is around $10,000 per year - somewhat cheaper than the cost per child at public schools. The idea of school vouchers is that parents who are stuck in low-income areas can still send their kids to a good private school through this voucher.
It ultimately saves the taxpayer money (because $10,000 is lower than the average cost), and gives parents in poor areas a chance of a proper education for their child. Let's not shit ourselves here - public schools in urban areas can be highly atrocious. There could not be more of a divide.
Pokoko brings up a good point, vis-a-vis urban/rural. Such a program can be very successful in an urbanized area, where a good private school is only a subway ride away, or whatever. Becomes a whole lot more burdensome in rural areas. The easiest way to handle this is through common sense - vouchers where there's density, and move a portion of the savings to public schools in rural areas.
