The public schools in Washington, D.C. continue to set a record for per pupil costs in the nation. The District has long been the most expensive system in the country and reportedly spends roughly $30,000 per student in a system that continues to produce appalling results in national studies. The latest such study is by the respected National Center for Education Statistics which has found that in 2013 83 percent of the eighth graders in these schools were not “proficient” in reading and 81 percent were not “proficient” in math.
The only improvement is marginal at best. The percentage of students who performed at or above the NAEP Basic level was 57 percent in 2013. This percentage was greater than that in 2011 (51 percent) and in 1998 (44 percent). However, this is an extremely low level of performance and 43 percent are below even that level.
What is equally distressing is that this study went with virtually no mention in Washington. Indeed, the Washington Post gave more attention to the discarding of trash bins than this most recent educational data.
D.C. eighth graders scored an average of 248 out of 500 in reading. Mississippi finished next to last with an average of 253.
DC spends more than twice as other large cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas, though figures vary between studies and reports. The figure is derived from dividing total expenditures in Table 1 by enrollment in Table 15 of the Census Bureau statistics. The Census Bureau’s Table 11 puts the per capital costs for elementary schools at over $27,000 up to 2010. (note that this is a different calculation than Table 8 on per capita spending levels).
New York spends $5,353 less per student.
By the way, of that money, only $10,584 per pupil is spent on “instruction” and $1,613 on “instructional staff.”
Whatever the cost, the D.C. schools continue to fail and thousands of students are facing a dim future without basic skills to succeed. Many will be left to a cycle poverty where they lack the necessary skills to succeed in a new and more demanding job market. It is a chilling statistic that is measured in real terms in the lives of thousands of students.
These statistics are truly frightening. D.C. has a long reputation for wasteful and poorly managed systems. This low level of performance is even more striking when it is between two of the most successful school systems in the country: Montgomery (MD) and Fairfax Counties (VA). Clearly D.C. deals with a large number of impoverished students, but that does not explain this continuing failure of this system at such a high cost. Other cities have such impoverished areas and do far better with far less. The city seems to be continuing to discard thousands of students with the same level of care as its recent trash bin scandal. Yet, there remains no serious backlash against the city’s elected officials or demands for a fundamental change in the school system after decades of such poor performance.
Karen @ 11:46.
You objected to the HuffPo article because you claim the author was conservative.
Typically, one addresses any bias AND also addresses the statements and facts of the piece.
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Well at least I got one of your objections crossed off your list of my defects.
Here’s where I addressed my objections:
Karen
Where did McShane get 46,000+ for DC students? That’s awfully low.
My figures are 76,000/77.000 And I read an article that says enrollment will increase to 80,000+ for 2015.
McShane is not looking reliable.
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At this point, Karen. I think I am owed an apology. I have argued in good faith and civilly. I have offered page numbers – identified charts used – provided multiple varied sources. And you persist in objections. I offered two sources that said tenure had ended in DC. You did not acknowledge either one. What’s up with that?
At 11:46 you protested that I did not address any facts and statements of the article. Hogwash – right there in black and white – hogwash.
I repeat. I think I am owed an apology.
Feynman:
All you ever address is the politics of the source. You never say you disagree with the methodology, and why, or anything in that line. I think you may not be aware of this.
The NEA is a teachers’ union. Beware of their reports.
And I do believe in a “sisterhood” of sorts. Just like men who join together in cooperation. Nothing at all wrong with it, women should look out for other women.
So who is saying that women can only be liberals?There were Reublican women in some of the state legislatures that spoke out against anti abortion legislation that was being pushed through their state, I applaud their efforts. I’ve often wondered about anyone who votes against their own best interests, male or female, regardless of ethnicity.
Karen
Please use the NEA report. I did this work already. My work is upthread. I laid it all out using the NEA report. I listed page numbers. I list figures. NEA are the professional educational reporters. I spent a hell of a lot of time digging this out and trying to understand a quite complex report.
Do me the courtesy of reading what I have posted and if you wish to then question their results or mine – let us know.
Please do not ask me to start all over again because you do not like the answer. I have posted multiple links. None are from think tanks. One is the non-partisan expert.
Why is this unreasonable?
The very people who should assume that women can have diverse opinions and speak their mind try to ascribe some moral or intellectual deficiency when a woman voices a conservative opinion.
Is this what Feminism means now? That women are only free to be Liberals, but will be attacked as “non-Feminist anti-women” if they are not? How ironic!
Dredd and Annie:
There has been a disturbing movement that women and African Americans are only “allowed” to ascribe to Liberalism. Anyone who does not “toe the line” is considered free game for racial and sexist slurs, and now the invented PHD syndrome.
It’s just prejudice.
Feynman:
You objected to the HuffPo article because you claim the author was conservative.
Typically, one addresses any bias AND also addresses the statements and facts of the piece.
To show just how out of the mainstream education industry deniers are, I give you another example of the intolerant universities in this country. Many commencement speakers were cancelled because they did not comport w/ the mindset of the establishment. I know many here applaud those cancellations. There was one censoring that didn’t make the news.
Michael Johnston is a Democratic State Senator in Colorado. He is a Harvard grad and worked in rural Mississippi in Teach For America, a wonderful program despised by the education industry. Johnston was an education advisor to Obama during the 2008 election and helped in formulating the terrific reforms set up by Obama and his superb pick for the Dept. of Education, Arne Duncan. Why was Johnston blacklisted, he has implemented the changes of the Obama administration in Colorado. These changes include testing as A PART of teacher assessment along w/ other criteria.
It’s important to understand just how big a challenge Obama, Duncan, and all reformers have taken on in changing education for the students. We see the power of Big Pharma, Big Oil, etc. Well folks, the power of the Big Ed, is just as formidable. But, changes are being made. The old guard is being moved out. The people, led by Obama, have spoken. The toughest change remains. It is the Education Depts. of colleges and universities that is the Pentagon of Big Ed. And, as you see from this disgusting Harvard blacklisting, they will not be swayed.
Dredd, that PHD syndrome is real! I’ve seen it in action, mostly from libertarian women. Just my observation from debates with women regarding women’s issues over the years.
Dredd – you self-identified as having PHD.
The bad apples cast the truly excellent teachers in a bad light. I’ve known a few teachers, and they used to complain bitterly about the dead weight.
One of our friends switched to a charter school because their boys’ tenured teachers weren’t showing up to class, with no health issues, and they were taught almost exclusively by subs. I’ve had teachers who read books during class and just gave us busywork.
There are some noted PHD and ADD sufferers on this blog.
PHD syndrome in South Africa:
(PHD Syndrome).
Elaine, I’m conflicted when it comes to tenure. I have several friends who teach in Milwaukee Public Scools. They are very dedicated, soliciting funds on Facebook for this project or that project for their students. They brought in supplies that were paid for out of their own pockets for their students, yet these very teachers were terribly disparaged during the Wisconsin protests, called “pigs feeding at the trough”. It was awful to see these excellent teachers being treated lke that.
Merit pay is based on a multitude of factors. I have enclosed a link to the DC model. The teacher’s effectiveness is evaluated by observation in the classroom. In addition, student improvement can be gauged.
Elaine:
You make a good point about teachers getting fired during their probation for political beliefs. I’ve read some good articles about conservative teachers hiding their politics until they reach tenure, because only Liberals are embraced.
But if we required cause to fire a teacher, that should address these abuses.
Karen @ 10:56
First. I did not make the comment to which you object.
Second – I did read the article from your link – that’s how I learned he was an AEI guy. I read the article and IIRC he starts off by saying he is working off the Cato ‘report’.
IIRC – If I Recall Correctly. Especially common to be used when trying to cover up a vague guess, or when you are truly befuddled and trying to recall a fact of some sort. – Urban Dictionary
Karen S
Sorry, Dredd. You’ve mentioned several times that you had a PhD, so I took you seriously. You can’t tell tone in a post. 🙂
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Show me “You’ve mentioned several times that you had a PhD” … or admit to a vivid imagination.
I have neither denied it or asserted it.
PHD means many things, so you must consider the context, and in a mult-comment back and forth, it takes focus (PHD Epidemic).
But then when I go to Table 1 of the Census report, and take expenditure of $1,290,048,000 (the table lists it in $1,000), which = spending, capital outlay, and other /enrollment (Table 15, page 34, I think) 43,866, I got $29,408. So it looks like they arrive at a higher figure from combining all expenditure, including capital outlay.
If I have gone astray in my figures, let me know.