The Unseen Costs of Public School Decline

(0:00) Open: Graduating High School @ KSMF

(2:47) Funding: A Strong, Positive Correlation

(8:21) Private vs. Independent Schools

(12:01) Independent & Charter School Origins

(18:45) The Thousand Person Desereted Island

(22:30) cj’s recommendation: School Games

(24:40) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Four Seasons

The notion that school funding has no bearing on student performance is a pervasive, yet deeply flawed, talking point. Decades of robust research consistently demonstrate a strong, positive correlation: adequate and equitably distributed funding leads to better student outcomes.

Studies show that spending more per student is linked to improved test scores, higher graduation rates, and even increased lifetime earnings for students, especially those from low-income backgrounds. These investments enable smaller class sizes, competitive teacher salaries to attract and retain talent, improved facilities, and crucial support services.

Assertions to the contrary often serve a specific agenda: undermining public education to pave the way for school voucher programs or to erode public trust in democratically governed school boards. Such claims ignore the complex realities of educational improvement, which directly benefit from well-resourced schools. Simply put, money matters in education, and denying this fact is a disservice to students and communities.

This is not like deferred maintenance in your home, where down the road you can simply write a check and catch back up.  Educational opportunities squandered mostly can never be recaptured.  Join us this episode for a look at the unseen costs of public school decline.

Understanding the Effects of School Funding - Public Policy Institute of California

School funding boosts student achievement, major study confirms | The Educator K/12

School Spending and Student Outcomes: Institute for Policy Research

Targeted infrastructure spending can boost student outcomes

Higher education finance and success rate in US states: An insight from state-level data

An economist spent decades arguing money wouldn’t help schools. His new paper finds it usually does.

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