Why doesn’t the US value education?

[AriGhold]

Serious investment at the federal and state levels in primary and secondary education would have a tremendous positive impact on so many different levels. Crime would decrease. Welfare and food stamp spending would decrease. The country would be better prepared for the mass of minimum wage and manual jobs that would be the first to go when we really start to see automation take off. The number of people who are eliminated from the workforce at age 50 because their bodies break down because the only skilled they have learned is digging for coal or working construction would decrease and we would see a decline in disability claims. Then there is the positive impact from companies having a larger pool of highly educated workers to choose from. There are so many positives!

So why has education spending fallen so far behind? Why have tuition and student loan interest rates soared? Is it he fear of higher taxes? That would probably pay for itself? Is it special interest who make money off of the current system? Does the government fear enlistment in the military will see a sharp decline?

I think the positive impact education spending would have is something nearly all Americans value. So why have no real attempts at change occurred?

[Cleveland33]

we need to fix how it's spent before we throw any more money at it

[arn710]

All of the education funding has been allocated for bombing Syria for fake gas attacks and 45 new aircraft carriers

[Cleveland33]

45 new aircraft carriers

Goddamn that would be sweet.

I don't think we could even get 45 built before they are obsolete

[zinkhan99]

There is already a major push for college degrees, however most of these programs are a waste of time and money as they do not offer any tangible skill. Trade schools and apprenticeships are the answer. The programs available in the US absolutely suck compared to what European countries offer where corporations work with schools to teach trade and guarantee jobs upon graduation.

[Aesthetical]

No money for textbooks when you need freedom bombs.

[jtaylor2010]

Serious investment at the federal and state levels in primary and secondary education would have a tremendous positive impact on so many different levels. Crime would decrease. Welfare and food stamp spending would decrease. The country would be better prepared for the mass of minimum wage and manual jobs that would be the first to go when we really start to see automation take off. The number of people who are eliminated from the workforce at age 50 because their bodies break down because the only skilled they have learned is digging for coal or working construction would decrease and we would see a decline in disability claims. Then there is the positive impact from companies having a larger pool of highly educated workers to choose from. There are so many positives!

So why has education spending fallen so far behind? Why have tuition and student loan interest rates soared? Is it he fear of higher taxes? That would probably pay for itself? Is it special interest who make money off of the current system? Does the government fear enlistment in the military will see a sharp decline?

I think the positive impact education spending would have is something nearly all Americans value. So why have no real attempts at change occurred?

There have been real attempts at implementing significant change... the only problem is that the government keeps making it worse and worse.

[Cleveland33]

There is already a major push for college degrees, however most of these programs are a waste of time and money as they do not offer any tangible skill. Trade schools and apprenticeships are the answer. The programs available in the US absolutely suck compared to what European countries offer where corporations work with schools to teach trade and guarantee jobs upon graduation.

Don't you know trade schools are pointless because everything is going to be automated?

[Reliance012]

we need to fix how it's spent before we throw any more money at it

End thread. We already spend more money per student than just about any country in the world.

[jamalfudge]

Dumb people are easier to control.

[sawoobley]

There is somewhat of an inverse relationship between the money you pour into education and the results you see. We spend a ton of money on education and all it does is go to nicer buildings and more bureaucrats. How much money does it really take to pay a teacher to stand in front of a class and teach and for textbooks?

[AriGhold]

End thread. We already spend more money per student than just about any country in the world.

Pretty close to it on healthcare yet we are so far behind in actual performance as well. Why is that? We know the money isn’t getting to where it needs to.

[exxtracool]

Nothing wrong with America’s education system.

The country continuously churns out innovations used worldwide and makes more than their fair share to advancements in practically all fields... all the while having like 80% of the highest market cap companies in the world..

If that is a failing education system, more countries need to make the switch..

[Cleveland33]

Pretty close to it on healthcare yet we are so far behind in actual performance as well. Why is that? We know the money isn’t getting to where it needs to.

and you don't fix that problem by throwing more money at it

[gharlow]

Schools don't teach "normal stuff" anymore.

No one IRL does math on a number line. Most of the people I know can't even understand their kid's homework anymore.

Schools have become more about feelings than knowledge, so while I support education... I can't support this new indoctrination routine.

[PSToolman]

I think a lack of parental involvement and a systematic shortening of attention spans by the mainstream media and now social media is why performance is so low among so many public school students. I also think that the sum of all human knowledge has been growing exponentially and the amount of information we need to impart on students requires a longer school year than we are giving them. I think it’s time to think about expanding that.

Politically the attack on public schools is part of an effort to privatize the system, and make it a profit center.

[Vito-C]

No matter how much money you pour into a liberal-controlled system, it will consistently be "under funded" on the verge of collapse.

When you can afford to send students to Washington to protest the 2nd amendment but cannot provide adequate school supplies it is not an issue with the funding.

[jtaylor2010]

I think a lack of parental involvement and a systematic shortening of attention spans by the mainstream media and now social media is why performance is so low among so many public school students. I also think that the sum of all human knowledge has been growing exponentially and the amount of information we need to impart on students requires a longer school year than we are giving them. I think it’s time to think about expanding that.

Politically the attack on public schools is part of an effort to privatize the system, and make it a profit center.

Agree with some of your first points about what contributes to the problem. Screen time and absent parents are HUGE contributors. As the family erodes so do our children. And teachers are expected to be able to absorb all of the issues a child walks into her class with and still inspire/teach. On top of that the teacher knows that after class she is helpless as to whether or not the student actually invests time to learn the material. There are tons of problems with the actual system, and idiotic policies like NCLB only make it worse. Pointing that out isn’t simply an attempt to privatize schools, it’s just an obvious observation.

[AriGhold]

No matter how much money you pour into a liberal-controlled system, it will consistently be "under funded" on the verge of collapse.

When you can afford to send students to Washington to protest the 2nd amendment but cannot provide adequate school supplies it is not an issue with the funding.

Are you the graduate of a Betsy Devos Jesus school?

There is corruption on both ends of the spectrum surrounding education. Thinking we need to starve the system at the expense of children is a little ridiculous. How about elect people who will put the American people’s interests first? And not just saying that but meaning a select few Americans at the top.

[Vito-C]

Are you the graduate of a Betsy Devos Jesus school?

No I just have a grasp of basic math which seems to have escaped you. Again, I don't believe it was a problem with your school's funding.

[zinkhan99]

Don't you know trade schools are pointless because everything is going to be automated?

You are mistaking trade schools for low skilled manual labour. Construction management and construction specializations aren't going anywhere. Power utility technicians, electrical and electronic engineering, conservation, all kinds of engineering for that matter, inspectors (home, hospitals etc), electricians, plumbers, drill operators, industrial mechanics, vehicle operators, solar energy, heavy equipment mechanics, HVAC etc.

These are not entry level jobs.

[Cleveland33]

You are mistaking trade schools for low skilled manual labour. Construction management and construction specializations aren't going anywhere. Power utility technicians, electrical and electronic engineering, conservation, all kinds of engineering for that matter, inspectors (home, hospitals etc), electricians, plumbers, drill operators, industrial mechanics, vehicle operators etc.

These are not entry level jobs.

you missed my sarcasm

[zinkhan99]

you missed my sarcasm

I might have, I didn't really read the OP and his jab at automation

[Cleveland33]

I might have, I didn't really read the OP and his jab at automation

wasn't really OP, it was just a general statement on the feelings of some of the regulars here

[InstantLoser]

Doesn't the US already spend much, much more $$ than any other country on education? Where does the money go? We have property taxes and lottery $ which is supposed to pay for it. The problem is a mismanagement of funds by school administrators & local government, not a lack of funding.

[bezarker]

Dumb people are easier to control.

this plus we can always bring smart people from other countries to do the hard thinking work for us.

[Ten_Hearts]

Doesn't the US already spend much, much more $$ than any other country on education? Where does the money go? We have property taxes and lottery $ which is supposed to pay for it. The problem is a mismanagement of funds by school administrators & local government, not a lack of funding.

Yes and no...by GDP I think we align with most of Europe. However I believe by GDP we spend less on elementary/secondary education and vastly more on post secondary education. It can also vary greatly by state and there are certainly inefficiencies, like having a lot of management. Which in some cases is brought on by having things like too many school districts. Also might have to accept maybe the reason we under perform is we just have a lot of stupid people.

[Dave22reborn]

Ever hear the phrase, "Education starts at home?"

[jlick]

ITT... OP is unaware of the massive amounts of un-subsidized loans the government gives out to low SES students, who end up studying underwater basketweaving or gender studies and then eventually default on their loans and never pay back the government. And then college keep raising their tuition each semester because they know that flow of money will never stop from the government.

[PSToolman]

Agree with some of your first points about what contributes to the problem. Screen time and absent parents are HUGE contributors. As the family erodes so do our children. And teachers are expected to be able to absorb all of the issues a child walks into her class with and still inspire/teach. On top of that the teacher knows that after class she is helpless as to whether or not the student actually invests time to learn the material. There are tons of problems with the actual system, and idiotic policies like NCLB only make it worse. Pointing that out isn’t simply an attempt to privatize schools, it’s just an obvious observation.

I agree that there can be improvements made, and abolishing NCLB would be a good start. Discussing such issues is not necessarily a movement to privatize, but there is a movement to privatize, and frankly it wouldn’t surprise me if NCLB was intended to blow up the system and make it easier to show how the public school system has “failed“. School vouchers is also part of that effort in my opinion.