[extropy-chat] real cheap education

[J. Andrew Rogers]

There are a lot of misconceptions about funding and wages of schools, public and private, in 
the United States.  This is one of my favorite topics, so I'll just throw down some gross 
summaries; people can google if they want more detail.

- On average, private schools spend roughly half of what public schools spend per student 
on elementary school education.  For high school education, it is around 70%.

- Public school teachers have average salaries that are comfortably above the US average, 
and usually 20-30% above their private school peers.  Despite union whining to the contrary, 
teachers are not underpaid (I have a number of public school teachers in my family, and can 
back up the statistics with anecdotal evidence).

- While private school spending is far tighter, a much larger percentage of the budget goes 
directly to the teacher and the classroom (as would have to be the case given the spending 
disparities).

- The US spends more per student for basic education than virtually every other 
industrialized nation, even in cow towns where the cost of living is low.  And, well, I think 
most people are at least loosely familiar with our legendary return on investment.

- The US spends substantially more of its tax revenue at all levels on public education than 
its famously large defense budget, even today.


cheers,

j. andrew rogers