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JUNE 29, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Education Spending
Pennsylvania's education spending increased from $4 billion in 1980 to over $25 billion in 2009-a 133% increase in per-pupil spending, after adjusting for inflation. School construction and debt spending has doubled in just 10 years. Prevailing wage laws increase the cost of construction by 20% o
JUNE 21, 2010 | Commentary by NATHAN BENEFIELD
The True Beneficiaries of Education Subsidies
Gov. Rendell's budget once again demands significant increases in public school spending. Ostensibly, these increases are "for the children," but a close examination of education spending and policy proposals reveals Gov. Rendell's priority - appeasing education's special interests.
DECEMBER 9, 2009 | Testimony by NATHAN BENEFIELD
Costing-Out the Price of Education
In the last two years, Gov. Rendell has used the "costing-out" study to justify proposed increases in state education subsidies. Yet while costing-out or "adequacy" studies have been conducted in over 35 states to quantify the amount of education funding needed, in no case did spending increases result in dramatic improvement of adequacy standar
Recent Blog Posts
JULY 26, 2010
Do Conservatives Support National Education Standards?
The Fordham Institute, long advocates of national education standards, are celebrating the adoption of the Common Core Curriculum, calling it "national standards conservatives can love".
The basis for this claim celebration is that "red states" have adopted the standards, that conservatives have not objected to the adoption, and that conservatives like "equal standards for all" and thus support a single national standard.
Indeed, many states have already adopted the Common Core Standards - uniform national standards in reading and math, including "red states". Of course, the adoption was fueled by financial incentives to do so - federal "Race to the Top" funding was tied to the adoption of Common Core Standards.
On the lack of public outcry, Fordham's Chester Finn and Michael Petrilli write:
[The adoption of Common Core Standards is] occurring with little outcry from the right, save for a half-dozen libertarians who don't much care for government to start with.
They of course, completely distort what libertarians believe about government, and are just wrong about the level of criticism, which Jay Greene destroys them on:
Is the Wall Street Journal editorial page, which came out against national standards, just a handful of libertarian crazies? Is the Heritage Foundation, which also opposes national standards, just a handful of libertarian nut-jobs? Or how about the Pioneer Institute? And look who’s supporting national standards — fine conservatives like the American Federation of Teachers.
If there has been "little outcry", is probably because that few voters know this is happening. The "Common Core Standards" was buried in the stimulus legislation, and has since been overshadowed by health care, Wall Street "reform," unemployment benefits extensions, Cap & Trade, and other policy matters.
Pennsylvania's state Board of Education adopted the Common Core standards on July 1, which coincided with the passage of the state budget, a news story that may have overshadowed it. We are taking a quick, unscientific poll to see how many of our readers knew the state had adopted the Common Core.
The final, and perhaps most important point from a policy perspective, is that conservatives would want a single standard, because it's the best way to measure quality. There are good reasons to question state-created standards. Many states have watered down their standardized tests to inflate their performance on No Child Left Behind measures. This includes Pennsylvania, where the number of students proficient on the PSSA (the state test) exceeds those proficient on the national NAEP exam by 80%.
Fordham points out in their analysis that the Common Core is a tougher standard than 37 states in reading and 39 in math. Of course this means it is on par with, or lower, than the remaining states. Indeed, the Common Core would weaken standards in a number of states, and the national standard is only likely to be lowered as those who help design the standards start being held accountable to them.
Of course, the Common Core goes beyond simply being a single standard, but one developed by the education establishment and pushed by the federal government. Conservatives might like a comparable standard, but not one imposed by Washington. Do Finn and Petrilli really think conservatives want a federal standard to compare cars - or would they simply use the comparisons (on a single standard) developed by Motor Trend, Car and Driver, or Consumer Reports?
So long as we have a monopolistic education system, where the vested interests are the ones designing measures for their own performance, it really doesn't matter if those standards are set in state capitals or Washington.
posted by NATHAN BENEFIELD | 10:47 AM | 0 comment
JULY 2, 2010
Will Increased Education Funding Solve Our Problems?
Recently, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a budget for FY 2011. Governor Rendell praised the budget for increasing education funding by $250 million. But is increased funding for our schools the solution to our problem, or are we just throwing more money away? Despite the billions of dollars we spend on education, student performance has largely flat-lined.
A few years ago, John Stossel did a special called "Stupid in America." In Part 2 of this special, John Stossel asks whether more money is truly the answer to the problems of the American education system. As you watch the video, pay attention to how the Europeans think of American schools and students. Take note of the statements that the charter school principle makes. Are there any lessons we can learn from the European system?
One lesson we should learn is that increased school choice is one way to improve American education system. A recent study of the D.C. voucher program shows that the program increased graduation rates by 21%, while educating students for only a fraction of the cost per-child in the public schools. In Pennsylvania, the EITC program alone saved taxpayers over $500 million in the 2007-2008 school year. All school choice options combined saved taxpayers over $3.5 billion. School choice forces schools to compete for money and to strive to outperform other schools. Consequently, children receive a better education at a lower price than with the current monopolized system. More money most certainly is not the answer.
I encourage you to watch the remaining portions of this special. To watch the remaining parts, just follow the links below:
Part 1: Are America's Schools Failing Our Kids?
Part 3: Zoned out of a Good Education
Part 4: School Choice Proponents Meet Resistance
Part 5: The Teachers Union Monopoly
Part 6: Competition Leads to Innovation
posted by JOSHUA HOERNER | 08:02 AM | 0 comment
APRIL 15, 2010
Are Pittsburgh Public Schools Among the Nation's Best?
A recent national ranking said the Pittsburgh Public Schools were 7th best among large cities in the nation. (HT Grassroots PA). This was quite surprising, as the Pittsburgh school districts has historically been considered underperforming. In 2008-09, for instance, only 43% of 11th graders were deemed proficient in math, and 50% in reading on the PSSA - a test which inflates proficiency (compared to the NAEP) by 80%. This, despite the fact that the Pittsburgh school district spends over $20,200 per pupil, one of the highest in Pennsylvania, and far above the state average of $13,000.
The Allegheny Institute details why this ranking so distorts the performance - starting with the important fact that the report looks at all schools with a Pittsburgh mailing address , which includes 21 other school districts, in addition to the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The report also rewards the city for a low median home value and low unemployment rate (at the time of the study).
Moreover, the comparison group isn't that impressive - "the large city ranking is a selection of the best of not very good school systems." The Allegheny Institute sums up, noting the performance of the Pittsburgh school district remains far from one that would entice many families to move there.
The final educational score given to Pittsburgh (including all suburban districts that use the Pittsburgh mailing address) is 6 out of 10. Not exactly a strong score worthy of a national ranking, and remember that Pittsburgh City schools had a Great Schools education score of only 4 out of 10. And this is supposed to induce people with school-aged children to move to the City?
posted by NATHAN BENEFIELD | 09:17 AM | 0 comment
