Helping Bright Kids Succeed Should Be A No-Brainer

It may not be a mere coincidence that, as the government has proceeded to further shift, over recent years, to an economy based on consumption of goods, our education system has continued to decline. The basic Keynesian view of stimulus- that if the government gives people and institutions money, there will be more consumption and improvement in service, and, consequently, growth and progress- has proven to be a faulty model for both the general economy and education as well.

A recent article in The Economist, examined a new study, released by the McKinsey consulting group, which focused on how to improve school systems. The authors of the study found that centralized government investment in education yields good results in still developing countries in which all children do not attend school. Yet, in those in which all children are required to be educated, the same government investment has not proven to be effective. For example, the article demonstrates that, between 2000 and 2007, both America and Britain increased spending on schools by 21% and 37%, respectively. Yet, in both of these countries, reading, math, and science skills standards dropped.

In fact, the study indicates that many poorer countries, without the benefit of the spending bug, fared much better on student achievement.  The McKinsey researchers concluded that, in these countries, what makes a difference in improving education is not money, but the awareness that different types of schools need different types of reforms. In other words, a “one size fits all” model does not work. It appears that when education is dependent upon the federal government, standards suffer.

For countries such as the United States, which is considered to be, educationally, “beyond the basics,” the authors assert that choosing better teachers and treating educators like a true profession are steps to take to raise educational standards. Of course, “true professions” are found in the private sector, and those professionals in the private sector who are motivated, innovative, and contribute positively to their field, are rewarded with raises in salary, while others, who do not contribute in a meaningful way, are shown the door.

It is certainly sobering news to know that the billions of dollars spent on education, even through No Child Left Behind, have not “stimulated” learning among American students. And, understandably, these results underscore concern about those children struggling to master basic literacy and math skills.

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