Thursday, May 17, 2012

Bang for the Buck

No doubt these graduates look glum because they have just incurred an average of $50,000.00 in student debt and there is no guarantee they will get a job.

In recent years there have been huge transfers of money into the higher learning institutes and the education system in general and yet there is a common knowledge that the quality of education is deteriorating, university graduates are burdened with student loans, and that a degree is no longer guaranteeing a good job.
In spite of this troubling trend, politicians are still mouthing the great feel good mantra, "We need to invest more in education".

The Program for International Student Assessment just released their findings. They gave tests to 15 year olds in 65 different countries. The US spends more on education than almost any other country so you would naturally expect them to come out on top, right?
China-Shanghai came in first, China-Hong Kong second, and Finland was third. USA spends 15 times as much as China in terms of 'education investment' per student!
Even domestically, there are huge aberrations. Washington DC spends for times as much as Idaho yet has inferior test results.

Yes, we need more investment in education, but it is not money that is lacking, it is understanding and wisdom as to what an education is and exactly how it is delivered.


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