A new study by the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education at Teachers College, Columbia University estimated that spending an extra $82,000 per student for “intervention” programs, which supposedly reduce the dropout rate, would return $209,100 to the U.S. economy. This includes $139,100 in increased tax revenue, $40,500 in public-health care savings, $26,600 for savings in law-enforcement and prison costs, and $3,000 for savings in welfare costs.
What are the “intervention” programs? They may sound familiar, especially if you hang out with SOCIALISTS and the EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT on a regular basis.
1. Preschool for children, home visits and education for parents.
2. Preschool for children and health and nutrition services for parents.
3. Elementary school class size reductions.
4. In high school, small class sizes and professional development for teachers.
5. Raising teacher salaries.
One economist pointed out the obvious, namely that $82,000 per student is a lowball figure for these kinds of programs and that none of these “interventions” are a magic bullet. North Carolina school officials learned a lot about magic bullets when their class size reduction study found no significant improvement in reading performance among low-income elementary school students who had reduced class sizes.
