Selection 9: Public Education: Leveling through the Schools
(political science)

1. The United States today invests more heavily in public education at all levels than any other country. The curriculum in American schools is also relatively standardized. Unlike those countries that divide children even at the grade school level into different tracks that lead ultimately to different occupations, the United States aims to educate all children in much the same way. Of course, public education is not a uniform experience for American children. The quality of education depends significantly on the wealth of the community in which a child resides since schools are funded primarily through local property taxes.
2. Nevertheless, the United States through its public schools educates a broad segment of the population. Arguably, no country in the world has made an equivalent effort to give children, whatever their parents' background, an equal opportunity in life through education. This spending level on public elementary and secondary schools averages roughly $6,000 per pupil, compared with less than $4,000 per pupil in western Europe.
3. America's commitment to broad-based education extends to college. The United States is far and away the world leader in terms of the proportion of adults receiving a college education.
4. The nation's education system preserves both the myth and reality of the American dream. The belief that success can be had by anyone who works for it could not be sustained if the education system were tailored for a privileged elite. And educational attainment is related to personal success, at least as measured by annual incomes. In fact, the gap in income between those with and without a college education is now greater than at any time in the country's history.
5. In part because the public schools have such a large role in creating an equal opportunity society, they have been heavily criticized in recent years. Violence in the schools is a major parental concern. So, too, is poor performance on standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The United States is not even in the top ten nations as judged by students' test scores in science or math.
6. Disgruntled parents have demanded changes, and these demands have led some communities to allow parents to choose the public school their children will attend. Under this policy, the schools compete for students, and those that attract the most students are rewarded with the largest budgets. Gallup Polls indicate that Americans favor such a policy by more than a 2 to 1 margin. Advocates of the policy contend that it compels school administrators and teachers to do a better job and gives students the option of rejecting a school that is performing poorly. Opponents of the policy say that it creates a few well-funded schools and a lot of poorly funded ones, yielding no net gain in educational quality. Critics also claim that the policy discriminates against poor and minority group children, whose parents are less likely to be in a position to steer them toward the better schools.
7. The issue of school choice goes to the heart of the issue of equal opportunity. On the one hand, an elite-centered school system widens the gap between the country's richer and poorer groups. On the other hand, making students compete with one another for the best education can be justified in terms of the country's individualistic tradition.

Source: Abridged from Thomas E. Patterson, We the People: A Concise Introduction to American Politics, 4th ed. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2002, pp. 501-03.

Writing Prompts

Directions: Type your responses to the items below.

1			The author states the "public education is not a uniform experience for American children." List at least two factors that affect the quality of public education. In other words, list the factors that make some public schools better than others. You may use factors mentioned in the selections as well as logical ones that you reason out. --the wealth of the community in which the school is located --level of parental and community involvement (volunteers, fundraising activities, etc.) --whether a school applies for and receives government funding for special programs --the size of the school --the talent and dedication of the administrators and faculty
2			Most other countries do not even attempt to make public education available to everyone, or else they use a system of tests that places students into "tracks" that lead either to vocational training or to college. Students who do not make high enough scores do not have the option of attending college. Do you think this is a good system or not? Explain your answer.
3			If you attended public school prior to college, do you feel you received a good education? Tell why or why not. Even if you did not attend public school, do you think the public schools in your community are good ones? Tell why you have that opinion.

To the Web

Consult one or more of the following websites that pertain to the topic of the reading selection. Then answer the questions based on information obtained from the websites.

The authors of these two website selections have very different views about the solution to public school violence.

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/1997/04/21/editorial4.html

This selection at this website appeared in the Denver Business Journal in 1997 when Clinton was president. It was written by a law professor. It mentions parents' dissatisfaction about public school students' relatively low achievement and parents' discontent over school violence.

4			The author does not think that educational standards and achievement in the U.S. can be raised by more government spending on education. List at least five reasons the author gives to support his belief.
5			What reasons does the author cite for increased school violence?
6			List at least three solutions the author suggests for improving public education.

http://www.fff.org/comment/com0202b.asp

This commentary is from the website sponsored by a libertarian website. Libertarian principles include individual freedom, free markets, private property, and limited government.

7			What is this organization's unusual view about ending public school violence?