Higher spending no guarantee of school success
Published January 29, 2015
by Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation, January 29, 2015.
Niche.com Inc. is a Pittsburgh, Penn.-based company that evaluates and ranks K-12 schools, colleges, cities, and neighborhoods. It recently released a 2015 ranking of public schools and school districts in each state, as well as a national ranking of private and public schools and districts.
Niche researchers evaluated dozens of variables in eight categories and weighted each. Factors included academic performance (50 percent), health and safety (10 percent), student culture and diversity (10 percent), parent and student survey responses (10 percent), teachers (10 percent), resources and facilities (5 percent), extracurricular activities (2.5 percent), and sports and fitness (2.5 percent).
Obviously, the ranking reflects more than just test scores or graduation rates. The total school environment was taken into account.
After compiling the data and weighting each factor, Niche determined that Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools was the best school district in North Carolina. (Read this John Locke Foundation “Education Update” to find the full list.)
Unfortunately, Chapel Hill-Carrboro failed to land in the top 100 districts in the nation. In fact, no Chapel Hill-Carrboro high school made the list of the top 100 high schools in the nation. (Raleigh Charter High School (No. 52) was the only school in North Carolina to appear on Niche.s high school ranking.)
Chapel Hill-Carrboro is a well-funded district, but by no means does it spend the most per student. During the 2013-14 school year, Chapel Hill-Carrboro spent $10,872 per student on operating expenses, which was the 15th highest expenditure in North Carolina.
Compare that level of spending to the fifth-ranked district, Union County Schools. Union County’s per-student expenditure was far lower than the state average of $8,477. Union’s $7,611 expenditure ranked No. 112 of 115 districts in the state. That is a remarkable achievement.
On the other end of the spectrum is Northampton County Schools, which spent $11,886 per student last year. That was the fifth-highest expenditure in the state, but Northampton was the lowest-ranked district. A number of other districts occupy the lowest quartile of the Niche ranking and the highest quartile of per-pupil spending.
This is not to say that money does not matter. Funding is necessary, but not sufficient, to operate a successful school district. There are numerous other factors that play a role.
School culture, working conditions, parental involvement, and community support are essential. Unfortunately, those key factors are difficult to describe and quantify, and of course cannot be purchased in bulk from Office Max.
Dr. Terry Stoops is Director of Research and Education Studies for the John Locke Foundation.
January 29, 2015 at 10:12 am
Norm Kelly says:
Once again it's relatively easy to predict the author just from the title of the post. As I've stated in prior posts, I try to predict the author from the title before opening the email notification. Usually when it's a good lib, like Chris, the title gives away immediately the direction the post will go. Same is usually true for John Locke writers; though it's sometimes hard to tell exactly which Locke representative will be the author, just as with this post, it's kinda easy to tell the direction of the post.
You see, when the title leans toward the truth, it's probably from someone at Locke.
When the title leans toward supporting more government, more taxes, more spending, or less school choice, it's from a lib, and a good chance it's from Chris.
The title of this one states the truth, stands against everything lib, therefore from someone who will use facts to support their case. Since facts will be used instead of emotion, conclusion of Locke author will be right on the money. And RIGHT!
Once again, we have survey results, including parents, that show money is not the answer to all the education problems. What is the only thing we hear from libs when it comes to education? Well, actually, we hear 2 things from libs. But what's the most often repeated, loudest repeated, carried by the unions line, and reported strongly by rags like the N&D? We need more money! Give us more money and we'll (finally!) show results! The only reason schools are not at the level right-wing nuts think they should be is because those right-wing nuts refuse to spend enough money on education! (the second most oft repeated line from libs is that private school/home school competition should be prevented because it too will kill the goose that could potentially lay a golden egg if money weren't diverted away from government monopoly schools!) What do surveys such as the one from Niche show us? That the line from libs is just that: a line. It makes them 'feel' good, which is all libs care about. Results, they often tell us, are not important, it's how THEY feel about the situation that drives them.
It's time for thinking people, parents, and those of us on the right (and in the right) to stand up against the schemes of the left. It's just possible that Communist Core is one of the latest moves by the left to drive parents OUT of the education process. It's one more step on the path to 'dumb down' American kids. It's people like the occupier that do no believe in American exceptionalism. It's people like the occupier who want to bring America DOWN to the level of less successful nations around the world; like those socialist countries in Europe. Instead of wanting to bring other nations UP to the level of the US, libs like the community organizer occupant want to bring us down to their level. Government monopoly schools, without competition is just one way to accomplish this. Communist Core to the 'rescue'?
January 29, 2015 at 11:57 am
Richard Bunce says:
Relative comparisons of government school systems in the 50 States is an exercise without purpose. One States education system will always be first and one States education will always be last and as pointed out the dollars spent are for a variety of reasons largely irrelevant. The real question is are the students in each school system being educated to their parents, future employers, and future post secondary education providers satisfaction? That answer is increasingly no for government education systems and so the expanding of education system choices for all parents and their children is necessary to achieve the desired result for parents, employers, and post secondary education providers.
January 29, 2015 at 12:39 pm
Mohammed Sanchez says:
I love that you compare Chapel Hill schools with Northampton schools. Chapel Hill is one of the richest communities in NC and Northampton County is one of the poorest.
What you're not including is that a lot of that money spent in Northampton County is just to feed those kids! Nearly 100% of the kids from that school district has free/reduce lunch. And then, you don't mention the expenditures from Chapel Hill families like paying for SAT classes, private tutors, study abroad programs.
Biased article with false comparisons and half truths.
January 29, 2015 at 4:13 pm
Richard Bunce says:
Looks like a good County for a significant education voucher program.
Voting Democratic in the last century plus has not seemed to get them anywhere.
