Debate Desk
Do America's Schools Fail Mainly Because They Lack Enough Money?
Real spending per pupil has more than doubled since 1970 while test scores stayed flat; how money is spent matters more than how much.
The claim
Teachers' pay lags, buildings are old and classrooms crowded, say advocates of larger budgets, and schools in poor districts have far fewer resources than those in rich ones. More money would give every child a better chance.
The answer in three points
- Money has gone up, and results have not followed. Spending per student, adjusted for inflation, has risen substantially across decades, while the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows little change in reading and math for 17-year-olds over the long run. If money alone were the answer, the answer would have shown by now.
- Where the money goes matters. Much of the increase went to hiring more staff, including many non-teaching positions, while enrollment grew slowly. The cost of benefits and pensions takes an increasing share of budgets, so less reaches the classroom.
- What works is often cheap: teaching reading by phonics, a coherent curriculum, high expectations, orderly classrooms, and good teachers rewarded for results. Some of the best schools in poor neighborhoods spend no more than their neighbors.
Parents can look at how their district spends its budget, how many staff are in classrooms and what the results are. Those figures tell more than the size of the total.
The numbers
- The National Center for Education Statistics reports that inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending in public elementary and secondary schools was well over double the 1970 level by recent years.
- The National Assessment of Educational Progress reported in 2022 the largest drop in fourth- and eighth-grade math scores since the assessment began, according to the Nation's Report Card.
- The same report found that only about a third of eighth graders scored at or above proficient in math in 2022.
What they will say next
"Teacher pay is too low." In many places it is, and good teachers deserve more. Pay structures that reward effective teaching, rather than only years served, direct money to where it counts.
"Rich districts spend more." They do, and much of the difference comes from local property taxes. Studies find that gaps in spending explain only a part of gaps in outcomes, and many high-spending urban districts have poor results.
"The pandemic closures caused the decline." They did harm learning, especially in places where schools stayed closed longest. Declines in reading began before 2020, so the closures made an existing problem worse.
"Class size matters." Smaller classes help in early grades in some studies and are very costly. A strong teacher matters more than a few fewer students.
Accountability for results, not just inputs, is the direction that families deserve.
"Rural schools lack the resources to compete." Many do face real constraints, and states have funding formulas to help. The answer includes flexibility, technology and options for families, such as open enrollment.