Forum Post: I don't see the big deal?
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 17, 2011, 11:05 a.m. EST by 420
(40)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
We definitely need educational reform in this country. I am 22 years old and just got out of the clutches of public education (OMG???) You're telling me my parents, grandparents and so forth all went through this system and were still willing to send me through it? I know what you're going to say there is always private schools and blah blah blah go fuck yourself. You see how this public educational system is failing us as a nation. Why have we given up on educational reform? Education holds a place of great importance on the road to peace. The things the human race can accomplish with our minds. This is why i propose that education should be able to take money out of the FEDERAL RESERVE also just like banks in order to fund there needs. Think about it as a race, I think that we can forgive the meaningless unlimited supply of paper money that we use down the road when our great great great grandchildren have free energy, and technology that we could never dream of, and they will laugh at the mere fact that we idolized such a materialistic thing as paper. However, it needs to start somewhere! And wake up people basic god damn physics we give money to them for there goods and in return they should have to give the money back, but you people love your capitalism so much so you say NO! And that's ok i see where your coming from you worked for it you deserve it, THIS! is what the FED RESERVE is for if you want to have capitalism to balance the economy. I promise you just keep printing money fund everything and when we finally realize it was meaningless we are just going to laugh about it.
You are right about the quality of the education system, but unfortunately there is no correlation between spending and outcome. In fact, in the US the cities that spend the most on education have the worst outcomes. Nor is there a correlation between class size and outcome. The US spends more per capita on education than most other developed countries (and far more than any other country in absolute terms) but has poorer outcomes than many. South Korea has probably the best or second best education system (rivaled by Finland) but spends less than the average western country per capita.
So while I always vote in favor of my town's school budget, I think it is naive to think that spending more is going to solve these problems. In fact, there are people who say "We spend twice as much on health care as any other country, and we have poorer outcomes. We should spend less" Those people have a good argument. But the same people say "We spend more than most other countries on education, but we have poorer outcomes. We should spend even more." I don't get it.
By the way, you might enjoy the movie "Waiting for Superman" that discusses a number of issues in the education arena.
(PS - spending statistics depend on what you look at - per capita, per pupil, percent of GDP, or gross. Regardless of which parameter you use, the US is somewhere near the top of the list, South Korea way down the list.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-3hZsXrxaI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkRFCtl2MI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SQqjTxI3vc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w