Suppose We Had A Bake Sale For A B-1 Bomber...

[dales]

...and nobody came.

Study: US education spending tops global list



By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States spends more than other developed nations on its students' education each year, with parents and private foundations picking up more of the costs, an international survey released Tuesday found.

Despite the spending, U.S. students still trail their rivals on international tests.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — which groups the world's most developed countries — writes in its annual report that brand-new and experienced teachers alike in the United States out-earn most of their counterparts around the globe. But U.S. salaries have not risen at the same pace as other nations.

The findings, part of a 440-page tome of statistics, put the United States' spending on its young people in context.

The United States spent more than $11,000 per elementary student in 2010 and more than $12,000 per high school student. When researchers factored in the cost for programs after high school education such as college or vocational training, the United States spent $15,171 on each young person in the system — more than any other nation covered in the report.

That sum inched past some developed countries and far surpassed others. Switzerland's total spending per student was $14,922 while Mexico averaged $2,993 in 2010. The average OECD nation spent $9,313 per young person.

As a share of its economy, the United States spent more than the average country in the survey. In 2010, the United States spent 7.3 percent of its gross domestic product on education, compared with the 6.3 percent average of other OECD countries. Denmark topped the list on that measure with 8 percent of its gross domestic product going toward education.

Spending, of course, only tells part of the story and does not guarantee students' success. The United States routinely trails its rival countries in performances on international exams despite being among the heaviest spenders on education.

U.S. fourth-graders are 11th in the world in math in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, a separate measure of nations against each other. U.S. eighth-graders ranked ninth in math, according to those 2011 results.

The Program for International Student Assessment measurement found the United States ranked 31st in math literacy among 15-year-old students and below the international average. The same 2009 tests found the United States ranked 23rd in science among the same students, but posting an average score.

And it's not as though all spending on education is public, the OECD report found. Public spending accounts for just 70 cents of every education dollar in the United States. Parents picked up another 25 cents and private sources paid for the remainder in 2010.

A decade earlier, the public's share of education spending was 72 cents on every dollar.

The average OECD nation spent 84 cents of every education dollar, down from 88 cents a decade earlier.

For post-high school programs, the United States is far outspent in public dollars. U.S. taxpayers picked up 36 cents of every dollar spent on college and vocational training programs. Families and private sources picked up the balance.

In other OECD nations, it was roughly reversed: The public picked up 68 cents of every dollar in advanced training and private sources picked up the other 32 cents.

"When people talk about other countries out-educating the United States, it needs to be remembered that those other nations are out-investing us in education as well," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a labor union.[same old tired....why am I NOT surprized... line of bullshit!]

Still, teachers in the United States fare fine.

The average first-year high school teacher in the United States earns about $38,000. OECD nations pay their comparable educators just more than $31,000.

That trails Luxembourg, which pays its first year teachers more than $72,000 a year, but far exceeds the $10,000 paid to first-year high school teachers in Slovakia. Among all educators, U.S. payrolls are competitive. The average high school teacher in the United States earns about $53,000, well above the average of $45,500 among all OECD nations.

Even so, other nations have increased teachers' salaries more quickly than the United States, which has been confronting tighter budgets as a result of the economic recession.

"Teachers' salaries represent the largest single cost in formal education and have a direct impact on the attractiveness of the teaching profession," the report states. "Since compensation and working conditions are important for attracting, developing and retaining skilled and high-quality teachers, policy makers should carefully consider teachers' salaries as they try to ensure both quality teaching and sustainable education budgets."

Here in CA (medicore schools) there are more applicants than jobs in the public schools system. If this profession is so bad, why the shortage of jobs? My niece is having a helluva time and she's a credentialed teacher.

[Big RR]

Teachers' salaries represent the largest single cost in formal education

that seems strange; taking the average salary of $53,000 for a high school teacher and divides it by an average class size of 20, one gets $2750 which goes to salaries, or about 25% (really less) of the $12,000 spent. I guess we can parse the costs as we choose, but I find it difficult to believe there is no other "single cost" that exceeds this. there are a lot of hands in the pie that have little to nothing to do with teaching. And it gets even worse in colleges and universities.

[Crackpot]

you price out shool textbooks recently?

[Crackpot]

teachers are the most visible and most vunerable part od the giant money pit that is education.

[Guinevere]

Teachers' salaries represent the largest single cost in formal education

that seems strange; taking the average salary of $53,000 for a high school teacher and divides it by an average class size of 20, one gets $2750 which goes to salaries, or about 25% (really less) of the $12,000 spent. I guess we can parse the costs as we choose, but I find it difficult to believe there is no other "single cost" that exceeds this. there are a lot of hands in the pie that have little to nothing to do with teaching. And it gets even worse in colleges and universities.

I assume the report is being a tad nonspecific and "salaries" also includes the value of benefits and insurances and pensions, which probably come close to doubling the figure. The next largest cost would have to be (for many but not all schools) the cost of new school buildings, but since municipalities can bond those costs at a pretty low interest rate and over a pretty long period of time, those costs are going to get stretched out for a while. Same with costs for new technology and other capital items.

[dgs49]

Coming up with "apples to apples" comparisons of per-student spending among countries or even states or school districts is problematic. What is the annual cost (today) of a unionized teacher's pension, considering she will retire at age 53 at 75% of her highest pay and live for another 40 years on the public dime? While in Luxembourg, the socialized pension is dramatically better than our Social Security.

I'm not sure what can be done to improve the overall state of public education in the U.S., but I'm fairly certain that with unions controlling the teaching "profession," throwing more money at it is simply money down the drain. All the increases in funding (and higher school taxes) for the foreseeable future will go almost entirely to fund the exhorbitant pensions that our political leaders have in effect granted to the government employees, especially teachers.

[Long Run]

The average teacher "earns" $53,000, but the cost of the average position could easily be 50-100% more than this. However, the simple math of BigRR does bring home the point that too much money is spent outside of the classroom. Assuming the average teacher pay is in the reasonable range, the real cost differential is in the money we spend outside of the classroom, i.e., on administrative personnel who push paper and manage the managers.

[Gob]

[rubato]

For us it is in large part a distribution problem.

Palo Alto Unified spends $13,000 /yr while many spend barely more than half that.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/fd/ec/currentexpense.asp

101 school districts in California spent less than $7,000/ yr.

290 spent between $7,000 and $8,000 per student.

yrs,
rubato

[Rick]

Arkansas Public School Salaries

From a recruitment site

Average Elementary School Teacher Salary $43,380

Average Secondary School Teacher Salary $45,770

Teacher Salary vs. State Average 140%

Vacation Weeks per Year 15

Pupil/Teacher Ratio 12.9

Expenditure per Pupil $10,021

[rubato]

No surprises there.

yrs,
rubato

[dales]

More money spent per pupil does not automatically translate into a superior academic model.

Hence, the reason for my original post.

A person of mean intelligence would realize this.

[oldr_n_wsr]

For my area:

The average elementary school teacher in Nassau and Suffolk counties earned $90,560, while middle school teachers earned $90,650 and high school teachers earned slightly less on average at $88,390.

http://libn.com/2012/06/13/long-island- ... -new-york/

That's without pensions and health and other perks.

All the sites that show spending per student are being blocked, but from the google summaries I can see it's in the $20K area.

[rubato]

Low salaries correlate well with poor performance and high salaries correlate with better performance:

http://www.teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-state/
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/09/newly-re ... rformance/

6 of the top ten in salaries were in the top 10 in college graduation rates.

8 of the top ten in college graduation rates were in the top 13 in salaries.

9 of the 10 lowest college graduation rates are in states with the lowest salaries.

We have seen this type of data many times before. Maybe you should write it down this time so you don't forget again?

In other words performance correlates well with salary. So if you want crappy schools with poor performance you can cut teacher salaries at will. Like they do in Conservative States.

Bottom 10 in college graduation rates are in Red. Top 10 are in Green


1 ………… South Dakota ………… $39,850
2 ………… Mississippi ………… $41,975
3 ………… West Virginia ………… $44,260
4 ………… Oklahoma ………… $44,343
5 ………… North Dakota ………… $44,807
6 ………… Missouri ………… $45,321
7 ………… Florida ………… $45,732
8 ………… Tennessee ………… $45,891
9 ………… Arkansas ………… $46,500
10 ………… Kansas ………… $46,598
11 ………… North Carolina ………… $46,605
12 ………… New Mexico ………… $46,888
13 ………… Utah ………… $47,033
14 ………… South Carolina ………… $47,050
15 ………… Montana ………… $47,132
16 ………… Maine ………… $47,182
17 ………… Nebraska ………… $47,368
18 ………… Idaho ………… $47,416
19 ………… Arizona ………… $47,553
20 ………… Alabama ………… $47,803
21 ………… Texas ………… $48,638
22 ………… Virginia ………… $48,761
23 ………… Kentucky ………… $48,908
24 ………… Louisiana ………… $49,006
25 ………… Colorado ………… $49,228
26 ………… Iowa ………… $49,844
27 ………… Vermont ………… $50,141
28 ………… Indiana ………… $50,801
29 ………… New Hampshire ………… $52,792
30 ………… Georgia ………… $52,815
31 ………… Washington ………… $52,926
32 ………… Nevada ………… $53,023
33 ………… Minnesota ………… $53,680
34 ………… Wisconsin ………… $54,195
35 ………… Hawaii ………… $55,063
36 ………… Wyoming ………… $56,100
37 ………… Oregon ………… $56,503
38 ………… Ohio ………… $56,715
39 ………… Delaware ………… $57,934
40 ………… Pennsylvania ………… $60,760
41 ………… Rhode Island ………… $60,923
42 ………… Alaska ………… $62,918
43 ………… Michigan ………… $63,940
44 ………… Maryland ………… $63,960
45 ………… Illinois ………… $64,509
46 ………… New Jersey ………… $66,612
47 ………… California ………… $67,871
48 ………… Connecticut ………… $69,165
49 ………… Massachusetts ………… $70,752
50 ………… New York ………… $72,708

[oldr_n_wsr]

"College" is mostly an elective cost on parents (and students).
K-12 is not. Around here it is mostly paid for by property taxes. No way to get out of that and no choice as to what school you want to attend.

[dgs49]

rube, you are spouting nonsense. Focus for a moment on teacher salaries (and total per-employee cost including pension) in inner-city schools. HIGH salaries, horrible graduation rates. Inverse correlation.

In my school district, after 15 years with a "masters degree" (mainly nonsense), they are in six figures. Graduation rate is "essentially everybody." But the average household includes two college-grad parents. I dare say if they cut the teacher compensation by 40%, they would still have more applications than they could handle (because of great location and working conditions), and the graduation rate would not suffer at all.

And to briefly address the elephant in the room, I would rather be making $45000 in Potter County, PA than $90 thousand in Boston or New York.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I would rather be making $45000 in Potter County, PA than $90 thousand in Boston or New York.

Amen to that