William Henson discusses the significant financial investments in K–12 education in the United States, particularly in New York City, and emphasizes the need for better accountability regarding the outcomes of these expenditures.
1. High Spending with Low Results: The federal Department of Education has a budget of $79 billion, contributing to a national K–12 expenditure of approximately $1 trillion. Despite this funding, students’ performance in math and reading has not improved since 2000, and issues like chronic absenteeism and teacher attrition are prevalent.
2. Need for Return on Investment Measurement: Current measures of educational success focus on spending rather than results. Henson argues for an Educational Return on Investment (EROI) framework that combines financial input with academic milestones like graduation rates and college enrollment.
3. Shocking Cost Data: The study highlights that it costs New York City about $1.5 million to produce a single college graduate from K–12 education, and even more for low-income students. In contrast, Catholic and private schools manage to produce better results at a fraction of the cost.
4. Call for Policy Reform: Henson believes that simply increasing funding is not the solution and that it is essential for policymakers to understand the efficiency of spending and the actual outcomes achieved. He suggests implementing EROI reporting and allowing public funds to follow students to improve education.
5. Unique Opportunity for Change: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is urged to seize the chance to reform public schools in New York City by focusing on the effectiveness of spending rather than just funding levels.
Henson concludes that without measuring educational outcomes in relation to costs, taxpayers cannot assess the true value of their investments in education. A reformed system could improve educational quality and offer better opportunities for students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/government-education-spending-schools
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