Is it a priority to teach the poor?

08-26-2011

Opinion by Pamela Burdman/New York Times

Pamela Burdman, an education policy analyst, is a former program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and education reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle.

To understand what value our society actually places on education, we can start by asking how Americans with money spend it on their children’s schooling: generally, they either invest in private school education or buy homes in more affluent communities with the best public schools. Their children don't qualify for financial aid, and yet they go to college, paying full tuition. These families apparently think education is worth the money, that it will enhance their children’s futures, ensuring not just economic security but also a fulfilling career and civic life. To ask whether we are spending too much time and money on education is really to ask whether the children of less-advantaged Americans are also worth educating. For them, public schools are the only option and student loans are often necessary to finish college (lest a full-time workload interfere with their studies). The answer depends on what kind of society we wish to inhabit. If some degree of equality – economic and political – is important, we need more education, not less. (more...)

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