Let's debate education!

It is fascinating to read the arguments (now Democrat State Rep. Mike Turner is blaming busing--which we've always heard is "code" for racism . . .) about how to improve education in the comments section over at Post Politics.

Folks, there's no evidence that inadequate spending is the cause for the problems with public school. Conspiracy of Ignorance is a great resource on the subject, but this 1999 report touches on some of the same concepts:

The program, "Public Schools in Bad Shape," was broadcast on November 12, 1999. In it, New York City Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew warned that it would be wrong to create the idea that failure is "sewn within the fabric of public schools." Stossel agreed, noting that some public schools do good work.

"But the big truth is that in city after city, the Catholic schools do better, spending less than half as much" as government-run schools, said Stossel. And while Catholic schools offer fewer union job protections, the bottom line is that "it sure seems good for the kids," with Catholic school graduation rates far outstripping those in the public schools.


Why Catholic Schools Succeed

How do U.S. Catholic schools do well on about $3,000 per student, when Crew says the New York City schools need even more than the $8,000 per student that is currently spent? Classes in Catholic schools are much larger than in the government schools, teachers are not paid as much, and many are teaching without a four-year degree and without a masters degree.

"Maybe it's not the money," suggested Stossel, "but about accountability and competition."

Maybe.

UPDATE: Here's a more current study and report that demonstrates the same thing: inadequate funding is not the problem with public education. Spending on public education has more than doubled in America since 1971 . . .

UPDATE II: Here's the video broadcast of the Stossel report.