Futility

It is no secret that education in America has lagged, by international standards, for quite a few years. The liberals’ answer is always the same: spend more money. I would argue that we have carried out a laboratory experiment, and have conclusively proved that more money is not the cure for whatever ails the education system. This chart, just produced by the Cato Institute, makes the point with beautiful simplicity:
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But surely, some will say, all that money must be doing some good! It can’t be a complete waste, can it? I think we can see, from this second chart from the same source, where most of the benefit of our ever-increasing spending has gone:
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The Democrats are forever challenging Republicans to explain where they would cut spending, as though that were a hopeless conundrum. It seems obvious to me that education is one area where we could cut spending at all levels (local, state and federal) without losing anything. In fact, if education budgets were cut, it might force school districts , educators and parents to re-think priorities in a manner that would actually improve results.
Via InstaPundit.

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