Are Educators Crying Wolf?

• Position: Education improvements have taken place with little improvement shown by test scores - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

The education establishment maintains that, to reverse the continuing decline in public-school performance, the nation must hire more teachers (to lower student/teacher ratios), pay them more (to attract and retain the "best and brightest"), and wire every classroom to the Internet (to take advantage of computer technology). The key to it all, of course, is more spending--lots more, including far-greater spending from the Federal government.

Listening to the public-school cartel, one would never know that their prescription for what ails education has already been filled, taken, and proven ineffective, argues the Heritage Foundation citing the following data:

Average class size has fallen dramatically. Since 1970, the student/teacher ratio in elementary schools has dropped 25% (from 24 students per teacher to 18 in 1999). Over that same period, the student/teacher ratio in secondary schools plunged nearly a third (from 20 to 14 students in 1999).

Teachers' salaries have risen. During the 1998-99 school year, salaries for public elementary/secondary school teachers averaged $40,582, up 21% (after inflation) since 1980.

Classrooms are wired. About 95% of U.S. elementary and secondary public schools now have Internet access.

Spending...