Comment by TFrancis
17 years ago
Right, let's reduce education! Ignore the order of magnitude more funding provided to the Department of Defense.
This never made any sense to me. I target my voting like I optimize my code. Look for the biggest inefficiencies and start there.
I don't see why that's relevant. I was responding to the argument that, contrary to the last few decades of high school spending for poorer performance, we might want to consider lowering spending. Unless there is some kind of treadmill of escalating dumbness, and we have to keep spending more and more on schools to break even.
Education spending is not just a single number.
Should we spend more or less on:
Sports, Teachers, Food, Text Books, Staff, Administration, Trips, Gifted Programs, Counseling Services, Science Fairs, Music Programs, preschool, 1st, 2nd...12th, Collage, Grad School, PhD Programs, Anti Drug Programs, Anti Teen Pregnancy Pamphlets, etc.
I think it's safe to assume each of the above have related rates of diminishing returns. If you wanted to evaluate how effective changing each of the above programs where you might come up with an interesting idea but hacking education is more than just how much money should the US government in total spend.
Less (kids do sports on their own).
Less (by making it easier to fire incompetent teachers).
Unknown.
Less (textbook companies are almost as bad as the teachers' cartel -- I learn more from old books, anyway).
Unknown (what do you mean by staff?)
Less (I have never walked into a school's administrative building and thought that these people seemed too busy and that what they did was important).
Unknown (some trips are great, some are a waste. Maybe trips geared towards different sets of interests would be better -- e.g. don't send dumb jocks to a play if they're just going to make things miserable for the drama kids).
Less (gifted programs tend to suck. Ideal gifted program: let them hang out in the library after hours, and maybe pester interested teachers).
Less (counseling is counterproductive. We were a safer, saner country when we didn't diagnose temporary moods as medical problems).
I don't understand how you spend money on science fairs. The ones I have been to involved students doing projects and displaying them at school. Who pays how much for what?
More (for kids who aren't interested in athletics, music programs are a good way to participate in a team. They also teach some math, which is nice).
Less (I've seen no evidence that preschool helps anyone).
Less (high school is too expensive because too many people feel obligated to attend. A 14-year-old American who paid a little attention in school has enough knowledge to function at an acceptable level, so someone who could work for four years instead of staying in school should do so. Unless high school is worth more than the $20K/year they could get doing blue-collar work and learning a trade).
Less (too many people go to college. Again, time value of money).
Less (useful stuff is subsidized by the private sector. PhDs in the semiotics of of Star Trek / Harry Potter crossover slash are paid for by truculent taxpayers like me).
Less. Above.
Less. I don't think we should impose an anti-drug culture. Let kids learn at home whether or not it's okay to spend their time getting high, and of course to learn which drugs have which effects.
Less. There are more efficient solutions.
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