The true cost of education

To say that the education system in the US is a contentious issue is an understatement.  One aspect most people seem to agree on is that education is expensive and that quality education is really, really expensive. Following this reasoning, one would assume that the more money an educational institution receives, the better educated the students in that institution will be. Yes, but not quite. If only we lived in a world where things made sense and logic was … logical? A special edition of 20/20 revealed that an Olympic size pool and a computer for each student only helped the students in a Kentucky High School obtain a lower grade average. More funds and resources than ever are poured into the education system to improve schools, to provide access to computers, facilities and materials for each child. We now have more portals through which information could be obtained than ever before. The goal is to produce educated youth. When students come out of high schools, however, and are not able to spell ‘education’ or write a complete sentence about it, was all the money spent really worth it? Not to mention that despite the lack of basic knowledge in English, science, and reading, students are somehow making it to college where more money is spent to provide many of them with developmental math and writing courses so they can catch up on skills that 12 years of schooling didn’t teach them. The way I see it, what’s pricier than the education these kids receive is the fact that most appear to receive no education at all for all the money spent.  So is money really the problem? 

- Krasi