A study done by the NPR Ed Team says that the average funding for schools comes from “45 percent local money, 45 percent from the state, and 10 percent federal.” In the same study, they found that between 2008 and 2014, 36 states had decreased their education funding.
It goes on to say that the average amount spent on a student in America, across all school districts in the nation, is around $11,800. However, in some parts of the nation, that is not the case. For example, according to a study done in 2016, South Carolina only spends an average of $10,617 per student. One county in particular spends just $3,018 per student.
The lackluster amount of education spending isn’t only affecting students. Many teachers are leaving the profession, and the main driving force is their lack of pay. And what do schools do when they are low on staff and need to fill a position quickly? They hire a less-than-adequate replacement who ends up staying in the position, unqualified to educate the future of the country. Last year, the state of Utah decided that, due to their lack of teachers, you don’t need any training to be considered qualified to teach.
In terms of rank, the American education system does not particularly impress. A study done by the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) looked at multiple countries’ scores in literacy, math, and technology. Compared to other developed nations, America was, at most, average in any given subject. In terms of literacy, those with a higher education scored well compared to the rest of the developed world. The underlying problem, however, is those who did not receive a higher education scored significantly lower than those in the same position in other countries.
According to the same study, it only gets worse after literacy. On the technology portion, America was dead last. On the subject of math, an American with a high school diploma scored roughly the same as a high school dropout in other countries. That stings.
What does that mean for Americans? Studies show a relationship with education level and poverty. The Census Bureau found in 2014 that people who graduate high school and pursue no education afterwards make up 29 percent of the population. They also made up 35 percent of those living in poverty. In 2014, that was roughly 15.8 million Americans. People with 13 years of education should not make up over a third of the population living in poverty.
Many people look to Finland’s education system as a role model. They do things very differently compared to the United States. A master’s degree is required to become a teacher. Homework is not as abundant as it is in the United States. Children don’t start actual schooling until age seven. It is hard to compare the two countries however, considering Finland has just 1.7 percent of the population of the United States.
Bettering the education system starts with our teachers. More incentives should be offered to teachers (i.e., better pay, more benefits) to make the job market more competitive. If we can offer them more, we can raise requirements on what classifies them as qualified. Furthermore, increasing the spending on students can in turn keep them in school. We could afford more school activities to keep them involved and healthier school lunches to help ensure their well-being.
Looking at the 2017 budget as a whole, the Department of Education gets about one percent of all money given to agencies. More money needs to go into better pay for teachers, rebuilding our schools, and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to get a quality education. After all, it is an investment in the future of our country.