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Election 2020 Issues: Education

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Leon On December 21, 2023




San Diego, California
#1New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 15:10:01
If you were President, and had a House majority and Senate supermajority on your side, how would you address issues in education, and, if money is involved, how would you pay for it?

For an overview of issues in education, read below.

School funding for elementary and secondary education rose to a high of approximately $13,500 per student before the Great Recession of 2007-2009, down to approximately $12,000 per student in 2013, and to a current level of approximately $12,800 per student. The current level ranks 4th among all nations, although more than 20 nations have had a higher rate of increase in the past 10 years than the US. Federal funding, which mostly targets low income students, accounts for approximately 10% of this funding, with state and local funding making up the other 90%.

Average salary among K-12 teachers in the US is approximately $45,000 per teacher (although this varies by state), which has dipped slightly over 20 years when adjusting for inflation, after rising steadily before then. K-12 teacher salaries have fallen from 64% of total education expenditures in 2001 to 57% in 2015, although pensions have risen from 17% in 2001 to 23% in 2015. K-12 teacher salaries have consistently remained well below the average salaries of other college graduates, and this gap has been increasing since before the year 2000, with such teachers now earning approximately 75% of what other college graduates earn. This has led to a severe K-12 teaching shortage that estimates 100,000 unfilled positions today and projected to reach 500,000 of unfilled positions in the US by 2025. 22% of college students were majoring in education in 1975 compared to single digits today, and this is despite the fact that K-12 enrollment has continued to be on the rise over that time span.

Since the Great Recession, expenditures on K-12 supplies have fallen a few percentage points of total expenditures as well. And arts and physical education have taken a particular hit in state and local funding, with over 30 states now allowing for waivers in physical education and 64% of physical education teachers getting less than $1,000 a year in supplies. This is despite the rising obesity rates among children in the US and studies that have linked academic achievement to levels of physical activity (which is recommended to be double that of adults, at least 60 minutes a day).

K-12 Test scores in reading, math, and science has been on the slight decline in the US, falling from highs in proficiency rates in these areas in 2013 to a few percentage points below that since then. When compared to the rest of the world, the US ranks largely in the middle of the pack in these areas, faring slightly higher in reading than in math and science. In the latter two disciplines, the US ranks 38th and 24th, respectively, out of 71 countries, and it is much worse when compared to developed nations, ranking 30th and 19th, respectively, out of 35 countries.

Charter schools, publicly funded K-12 schools that largely operate independent of school district bureaucracy, hiring, and curriculum development, make up for approximately 5% of student enrollment, and has been growing - predicted to be at 20% in 15-20 years. While test scores have largely been mixed in these schools, going from underperforming when compared to regular district schools in 2009 to being on par in 2013, they have been improving as charter schools continue to close at an approximate 33% rate due to underperformance.

Private schools make up about 10% of US K-12 student enrollment, and generally are smaller in class size and perform better in test scores, although teacher training and salaries lag behind that of their public school peers. However, these higher test scores are largely attributed to the fact that private schools attract students of higher income and, therefore, more stable family backgrounds, due to the out of pocket costs of private schools.

While studies have shown the benefits of attending preschool towards better success in K-12 schooling, only approximately 50% of children in the US aged 3 to 4 attend preschool and 20% attend publicly funded preschool. These percentages reach 60-80% in the handful of states that offer universal publicly funded preschooling for 3 and 4 year olds.

There are 24 nations in the world that offer free university education to all its citizens (and some to international students as well), most of which are located in Europe. In the US, which does not offer free university education to all citizens, public state funding for universities has decreased dramatically since the Great Recession, falling 20% from pre-Recession levels, which has resulted in a 35% increase in student tuition costs over the same time span, exacerbating a college debt crisis among the youth in the nation.
mrmhead On March 27, 2024




NE, Ohio
#2New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 16:39:25
@Leon Said

There are 24 nations in the world that offer free university education to all its citizens (and some to international students as well), most of which are located in Europe.


Do you know if it's open to anyone wanting to go?
Or are there limited spots for the students to compete for?
mrmhead On March 27, 2024




NE, Ohio
#3New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 17:05:11
With the Fed supporting only about 10% of the funding, there doesn't seem to be much that can be done at the national level, except for declaring rules and regs.


I'd be surprised if the following hasn't been done at some level, but:

Conduct a study that covers public, charter and private schools to identify what works and what doesn't. Both from a financial and performance / results POV.

Closer examination of "high performing" schools to see what elements are implemented and how they are integrated - because I don't think cherry picking an idea from here and there, thrown together will automatically work.


Somehow we need to boost teacher salaries. I know a lot of people complain that (the perception is) they only work 3/4 of the year. Going to a full-year program will be more expensive due to the cost of running the facilities.

Continue to encourage / emphasize "Not everyone needs a 4 yr degree" - trades and skilled labor are starving for employees.

?? Nationally funded "trades" schools .... Maybe go k-10, then "T1 - T4" and get back into (fed supported) internships. And grades 11-12 would be "College prep" for the rest.
... I don't know - are kids still too immature at 10th grade (~16 y.o.)?

Do we do the same for the "arts"? (music, theater, visual arts...?)

Not necessarily the most cohesive plan, but that's why I'll put in place the Best, Brightest, Smartest people to head the divisions. Like my son - He's been in a school - he aught to know!!
mrmhead On March 27, 2024




NE, Ohio
#4New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 17:06:34
All that
for ZERO points?

What the f***?
(not that I care)
mrmhead On March 27, 2024




NE, Ohio
#5New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 17:07:24
@mrmhead Said

All that
for ZERO points?

What the f***?
(not that I care)


Well, I got 1 point for that , so there is some calculation going on ....
fargin bastiges
Leon On December 21, 2023




San Diego, California
#6New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 20:17:27
@mrmhead Said

Do you know if it's open to anyone wanting to go?
Or are there limited spots for the students to compete for?

Their universities have admission standards like ours do. In fact, in some countries it is more stringent. My uncle, who taught US history overseas for a number of years, said that Germany has an exam that all secondary school students take before entering college, which they must pass to gain admission to their university system - otherwise they get put on a trade school track. Not sure if that is still in place there, but it is an example.

@mrmhead Said

With the Fed supporting only about 10% of the funding, there doesn't seem to be much that can be done at the national level, except for declaring rules and regs.


I'd be surprised if the following hasn't been done at some level, but:

Conduct a study that covers public, charter and private schools to identify what works and what doesn't. Both from a financial and performance / results POV.

Closer examination of "high performing" schools to see what elements are implemented and how they are integrated - because I don't think cherry picking an idea from here and there, thrown together will automatically work.


Somehow we need to boost teacher salaries. I know a lot of people complain that (the perception is) they only work 3/4 of the year. Going to a full-year program will be more expensive due to the cost of running the facilities.

Continue to encourage / emphasize "Not everyone needs a 4 yr degree" - trades and skilled labor are starving for employees.

?? Nationally funded "trades" schools .... Maybe go k-10, then "T1 - T4" and get back into (fed supported) internships. And grades 11-12 would be "College prep" for the rest.
... I don't know - are kids still too immature at 10th grade (~16 y.o.)?

Do we do the same for the "arts"? (music, theater, visual arts...?)

Not necessarily the most cohesive plan, but that's why I'll put in place the Best, Brightest, Smartest people to head the divisions. Like my son - He's been in a school - he aught to know!!


The federal funding is only at 10%, but leaving the already financially strapped states with 90% of the bill is what causes the funding problem to begin with, as states, unlike the federal government, has to balance their budget every year since they cannot simply borrow more or, like Obama did at the start of the recession, print more money.

In other words, the federal government can give a little more than 10% to schools. Heck, just keeping their IDEA legislative promise of providing states with 40% of special education needs funding would go a long ways in helping school districts use their own money to spend elsewhere. The feds only provide 10% today.

Sanders and Biden already have proposals to do just that. Biden want to triple fed funding and both want fund higher teacher salaries to attract more quality and prevent turnover and shortages. Teachers may only work 75% of the year, but the fact of the matter is that there is projected to be a 500,000 teacher shortage in 6 years, so something has to be done.

I like the charter school philosophy of taking the district bureaucracy away and letting these schools run on their own, as, not only does that save a little, there simply isn’t an effective one size fits all approach across all schools, especially in large districts such as LAUSD, where demographics between schools vary greatly. Plus, this opens up to more experimentation in ways to bring up achievement in failing schools. A lot of these charter schools fail miserably as well, but at least in California, these schools are forced to close down (by withholding funding), so the system corrects itself. It’s getting better.

Private schools only achieve better due to the socio-economic background of its students, not due to having better teachers, because they don’t - teachers in private schools are undertrained and paid less.

Which is the bottom line really. No matter how you do it, whether it is funding of district schools, charter schools, or via private school vouchers, teachers and schools need to be paid better if we want to maintain a quality of education. While I am going ahead of myself here, as this will be another topic in this series in a few weeks, the federal government can do this by simply reprioritizing discretionary spending - more than 50% of it goes to the military in current pie charts.

@mrmhead Said

All that
for ZERO points?

What the f***?
(not that I care)


Did you write it out elsewhere and cut and paste it on here. I notice that happens when I write the summaries in this series. Initially I was writing them out on here, and getting 50 or so points, but then moved on to writing them out on my iPad Notes ahead of time, since they require a lot of research, and just cutting an pasting them here. Now I only get 0 or 1 point for all that hard work.
mrmhead On March 27, 2024




NE, Ohio
#7New Post! Jun 10, 2019 @ 23:59:52
@Leon Said

Did you write it out elsewhere and cut and paste it on here. I notice that happens when I write the summaries in this series. Initially I was writing them out on here, and getting 50 or so points, but then moved on to writing them out on my iPad Notes ahead of time, since they require a lot of research, and just cutting an pasting them here. Now I only get 0 or 1 point for all that hard work.


No, I didn't cut and paste which is why I was surprised - and why it probably reads so fragmented. Like I said, not that I'm counting haha
mrmhead On March 27, 2024




NE, Ohio
#8New Post! Jun 11, 2019 @ 00:05:00
I was surprised to read that private schools (generally) have undertrained and lower paid teachers. If I were paying for a private school I'd expect better teachers - who would be paid higher wages.
Leon On December 21, 2023




San Diego, California
#9New Post! Jun 11, 2019 @ 00:58:00
@mrmhead Said

I was surprised to read that private schools (generally) have undertrained and lower paid teachers. If I were paying for a private school I'd expect better teachers - who would be paid higher wages.


If you think about it, it makes sense though.

Only the elite schools that charge exorbitant tuition costs can afford to pay their teachers more than the average US teacher given that they don’t receive any public funds to operate their schools, especially if their student to teacher ratios remain below that of public schools.

Most parents who put their children in private schools do so for the student body rather than for the quality of teachers.
Leon On December 21, 2023




San Diego, California
#10New Post! Jun 11, 2019 @ 01:19:09
The average cost per student in public education is $12,800 per year today. The average class size is 23 students. So that’s $294,400 per year of costs per teacher, including their salary.

The average yearly tuition per student in private schools is $10,671. The average class size is 12 students. So that’s $128,052 per year per teacher, including salary.

Tuition in private schools would need to exceed $24,500 to exceed public school funding as it is.

Granted, there are a few other factors at play, but you get the general picture.
chaski On about 19 hours ago
Stalker





Tree at Floydgirrl's Window,
#11New Post! Jun 11, 2019 @ 02:44:59
My answer to the question of Education is far too voluminous (verbose) even for me.

George H W Bush sated at one point that he was going to be the "eduction president". What a laugh.

The reality is that, in the USA our education system fosters ignorance, willful ignorance and mediocrity... and hate for any that are not like "us".

All this BS about MAGA is literally the dumbest propaganda ever invented... yet American citizens have embraced it with open arms. (And don't get me wrong, the "hate" is on both "sides".)

"We" Americans have chosen to prove our stupidity by supporting the orange man-baby. Not electing him... that part was understandable to a point.

If "we" complain, we are the new bigots...

Embrace the ignorance America... why rise to any level of intelligence and/or achievement when you can stoop to the level of fear mongering... why bother?

I am on the verge of not even caring anymore.

Honestly.
Leon On December 21, 2023




San Diego, California
#12New Post! Jun 11, 2019 @ 03:11:36
@chaski Said

My answer to the question of Education is far too voluminous (verbose) even for me.

George H W Bush sated at one point that he was going to be the "eduction president". What a laugh.

The reality is that, in the USA our education system fosters ignorance, willful ignorance and mediocrity... and hate for any that are not like "us".

All this BS about MAGA is literally the dumbest propaganda ever invented... yet American citizens have embraced it with open arms. (And don't get me wrong, the "hate" is on both "sides".)

"We" Americans have chosen to prove our stupidity by supporting the orange man-baby. Not electing him... that part was understandable to a point.

If "we" complain, we are the new bigots...

Embrace the ignorance America... why rise to any level of intelligence and/or achievement when you can stoop to the level of fear mongering... why bother?

I am on the verge of not even caring anymore.

Honestly.


Yeah, it’s pretty dismal the level of knowledge today’s youth has regarding history, civics, even geography - hence the ignorance on all of it. It’s always been that way, too, but we certainly are suffering for it now with the neglected parallels to Depression era populism and Watergate politics.

Unfortunately social studies is on the back burner in elementary schools, with all the focus on the three R’s in testing and recession-led state budget constraints. Not sure how it is in secondary schools, but I imagine it’s not the focus there either.
white_swan53 On October 07, 2020




n/a, New Mexico
#13New Post! Jun 11, 2019 @ 03:47:24
On the topic of education in America I have three opinions.
The first is , I can't say just how relieved I am that I don't have school aged kids theses days.
The second one is I get very annoyed when I listen to my grandkids talking about what seems to be the norm in our public schools these days. Very little actual educating going on at any level. And the kids get indignant when its suggested that they could fill in the blanks by picking up a book and reading it on their own or hell every book ever published can now be found in ebook form , sign out of snapchat or facebook for an hour and read a book. I get the look that clearly means they think, no , they know i have lost it as only old grandparents can lose it.
The third , is I wish , I really ,really want to just turn my back on everything the present day American political system is about , because I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of watching is fail . But until the day comes when I no longer get angry about i's failings I will be going to the polls hoping that enough voters are angry about those 8 years the republicans did everything in their power to stonewall Obama and now we got Trump ,,,
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