Some Thoughts on Education

"Classroom View" by Kathy Cassidy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 

This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Marty Luken, Directory of Fiscal Policy at  EdChoice.  Marty primarily works on research and analysis of a variety of financial matters related to choice in public education.  I met Marty in Atlanta earlier this year at FEEcon, the Foundation for Economic Education annual convention.  I was able to attend a panel session that he was on related to public education reform.  The conference was a whirlwind, but we exchanged information and left open the chance of meeting to discuss ideas on education in further detail.

Fast forward to Wednesday of this week and Marty and I were sitting over a couple of iced coffee's discussing a wide variety of education and schooling issues.  It was a very engaging conversation.  I was honored to be able to pick his brain for a couple of hours, and I hope I didn't bore him to tears with my stories and viewpoints.  

After decompressing from our conversation, I wrote down three key takeaways and ideas that we discussed.  

1. Choice is a must - Obviously this is the foundation of Marty's work.  As we talked, it was clear that while choice is widely accepted in other parts of society, for some reason when it comes to education, freedom to choose is shunned.  This isn't a position that evolved overnight.  Those who firmly have their flag planted in the public education camp have long stood for the idea that the local public school should be the only option for educating children.  Anything that threatens the monopoly of government run schools will not be tolerated.  Charters are shouted down as unaccountable and not efficient.  Private schools are mocked and abused for siphoning the almighty "public tax dollar".  Homeschoolers are looked down on as backward or socially awkward.  The list goes on and on but one thing is for sure; the one size fits all model of public schooling does not work for everyone.  We need groups like EdChoice and people like Marty to keep fighting for parents to be able to embrace these alternatives.  Hopefully, one day his work will no longer be as valuable because choice will be openly embraced!
2. Schools are a Financial Drain - This is one topic where you can quickly go down a rabbit hole.  There are a lot of moving parts to understanding the financial nature of public schools.  There are tax dollars, funding formulas, vouchers, budgets, teacher pay, pensions, and the list goes on.  What complicates matters on this issue even further?  Every state addresses financial issues differently.  No matter what state you are analyzing, the end result is almost nationwide frustration.  Take for example the issue of teacher pay.  Several states saw showdowns between teachers (unions) and legislatures last year.  Here in the state of Indiana the Red for Ed crowd stormed the statehouse in an attempt to pressure lawmakers into increasing teacher pay.  The financial issue also extends to operating budgets.  Several districts in central Indiana have forced referendums at the ballot box in an attempt to squeeze the taxpayer for more money.  Both of these issues have turned a lot of attention to the state capitol building.  Lawmakers have been raked over the coals by teachers and the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) for their perceived lack of care about public education.  As Marty and I discussed this he filled me in on the problem of teacher pensions, specifically in Illinois and Arizona.   These two states are in grave financial peril due to the high cost of guaranteed pensions, in large part due to gap created by the lack of return on government bonds, which largely funded these pension plans in the 80's and 90's.  As states looked for ways to close the gap, they started investing in more risky options, including stocks.  Whether it's teacher pay, operating dollars or legacy costs, all of these issues led to one result; a lot of money being spent with little accountability.
3.  What Does the Future Hold? - Obviously there is only conjecture here, but I believe both Marty and I are bullish on the future of education.  While I have been working on writing a book on the history and results of public schooling, I have been encouraged by how many people are pushing back against the firm, but slipping, grip that government run schooling has on education.  Just in casual conversation I am hearing parents tell me they are withdrawing their children from the local public school.  There are many options out there to suit the variety of needs to educate children.  According to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, there are nearly two million children that are now being actively homeschooled.   The latest numbers from National Center for Education Statistics show almost three million students are enrolled in some form of charter schools.  Education reform leaders like Kerry McDonald, Michael Strong and Peter Gray have been leading the charge for self-directed education, including "unschooling", an unconventional method of ridding oneself from all the various constraints and force that public school places on children.  All of these are very encouraging signs that people are pushing back against the monopoly of public schooling.

So in all, we didn't solve the problems of the world, or even education for that matter, but it was enlightening and encouraging.  It is always refreshing to know that there are like minded people who are fighting every day to help bring awareness to the issues of the public education system.  Thanks to Marty and all the fine people at EdChoice.  Keep up the great work!