I live in North Carolina and ‘Low Teacher Salaries’ is a hot topic. (For the record, I teach in a private school where we earn even less than the public sector). But I follow the debate with interest because the rhetoric is flung around thickly.
Here’s a quote that was highlighted within an article in our local weekly paper:
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“If given the choice, would you enroll your child in a state that is 48th in per pupil spending?”
What is implied by that question? (which is actually NOT a question but an assertion masquerading as a question)
- You have to spend a lot of money to educate a child well
- Money is the # 1 predictor of good education
What don’t we know?
- whether all 50 states actually spend close to the same. What if NC truly is 48th in spending, but the variance among state budgets is pretty narrow?
- whether the quality of students graduating from secondary schools and universities is a problem
- what the end product (i.e. students) is like in states that spend the most
- what the difference in dollars goes to in states that spend more
- what ‘per pupil spending’ actually includes. What goes into that figure? Does more money go directly to teacher salaries? And if so, is there a correlation between better -paid teachers and quality education as measured again by the end product?
Here are some FACTS to consider:
- The city of Washington, DC spent an average of $29,349 per student in 2010-11 and 81 % were not proficient in either reading NOR math.
- North Carolina spent $8,433 per pupil during the 2012-2013 school year.
- The average among all 50 states was $11,068 for the same 2012-2013 window.
Questions for further reflection:
- What does the average home-schooling family spend per pupil?
- How much is the average private school tuition?
- What about on-line schools that are growing in both accessibility and quality?
Here’s the bottom line for ANY issue:
You can’t have a useful discussion without taking TIME to flesh out hidden assumptions and facts!
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