Don Boudreaux Explains Why Our Existing K-12 Schools Won’t Ever Deliver Desired Results
In the middle of an article called “Crystal-Ball Truths,” Boudreaux delivers this great analogy:
Government K-12 schools, as now run everywhere in the U.S., will never excel at educating students. The reason is that each school gets its students and its budget without having to compete for them.
Imagine if, say, supermarkets were run the same way we run schools. Everyone in my county would pay taxes to fund the county supermarket system; each one of us would then be assigned one specific county supermarket at which we are allowed to shop.
Of course, once in our assigned store, all the groceries that each of us gets are “free” — meaning, we don’t have to pay for them on the spot. If the products and services supplied by the supermarket are of poor quality, we’re not allowed to switch to other county markets; we must, instead, complain to politicians.
The managers of the supermarkets will agree that their stores offer abysmal service and undesirable products; they will assert that this sad fact is caused by underfunding. We will be warned that only by paying higher taxes will we have any possibility of getting better supermarkets.
So our taxes will rise and funding for supermarkets will increase. But quality will remain poor — and the excuses offered by the government-employed managers of the supermarkets will remain that they need yet more funding.
This is why charter schools, school vouchers, and the like are needed to promote the competition necessary to deliver improvements.
But,
The first thing schools would do to raise performance and attract students is set high admission standards. Puplic schools must accept any students and meet a variety of special needs.
I agree completely with your supermarket anology and the results of government management, especially federal management. Local schools have the incentive and ability to provide the best possible education. We need to get the feds out of the game.
I like vouchers but would start as follows: get rid of the dep of ed, divide up their budget and give each child a $1200 voucher good for any public or private school.
R.W.Reagan - 1976 primary vs. Ford on education:
“Schools in America we created at the local level and administered at the local level for many years the greatest public school system in the world. Now through something called federal aid to education, we have something called federal interference, and education has been the loser. Quality has declined as federal intervention has increased. Nothing has created more bitterness, for example, than forced busing to achieve racial balance. It was born of a hope that we could increase understanding and reduce prejudice and antagonism. And I’m sure we all approved of that goal. But busing has failed to achieve the goal. Instead, it has increased the bitterness and animosity it was supposed to reduce. California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wilson Riles (himself a Black), says, “The concept that Black children can’t learn unless they are sitting with white children is utter and complete nonsense. ” Well, I agree. The money now being wasted on this social experiment could be better spent to provide the kind of school facilities every child deserves. Forced busing should be ended by legislation if possible by constitutional amendment if necessary. And, control of education should be returned to local school districts.”
Comment by rICH — May 15, 2006 @ 4:30 pm
I have to agree 100 percent with #1 regarding the Fed Dep of Education. I have seen a steady decline in our educational performance from the time the Dpt of Ed became the Federal black hole it is. They dictate mandates at the state level, but do not provide a means of funding many of those educational mandates.
Please note: getting rid of the FDE is not the end all to the educational funding crisis we face here in Ohio. It would eliminate SOME of the financial burden on our schools currently. The only thing that will rescue our schools is for the OH legislature to work in a bi-partisan fashion, revamp (if not repeal) HB 920, and accept their responsibility…..the funding system was placed at their feet by the courts to be re-worked. Let’s accept that responsibilty, forget the “special programs and fancy words” and fix the damn thing!!!!!
Comment by Jon — May 16, 2006 @ 6:14 am
I couldn’t agree more with Ronald Reagan. I was telling people that during my campaign that the decline in education started closely after the creation of the Department of Education. The Department of Education was created by Jimmy Carter in 1977. Any one with a little common sense can figure out for themselves the timing on our education system starting downhill. The more government inserts it’s strictures the worse it gets. We need control to go back to local level.
Comment by Deborah Kraus — May 16, 2006 @ 7:23 am