Would more funding solve America's education problem?

Elisa (No)

There is a crisis in American education, but it is not solely about its financial state. Money matters, yes, but increasing school funding won’t solve America’s education problems. First of all, fixing America's education problems starts at home. Behavior problems are a significant problem in most schools today, and money cannot necessarily fix that. Instead, parents can collaborate with teachers on behavior management, and doing this is free.  

There is also no evidence that increasing public school money actually improves outcomes. Throwing money at a situation that is broken will not fix it. In other words, schools do not need more money—they need reform. The Pacific Legal Foundation writes, ‘The ratio of public school employees to students doubled between 1950 and 1993. Funding and staffing increased dramatically during this time period. Student achievement, though, stagnated.’ Additionally, increased funding also can’t fix the fact that children in America are behind in learning the basics, such as reading and math. Moreover, students have failing test scores, even with the government spending $1.3 trillion on education. On top of that, when money is “thrown” at school, much of it is wasted, such as COVID relief funds. 

There are many factors to consider regarding better education other than finances, such as smaller class sizes, more parent involvement, student engagement, changing testing requirements, and more. Unfortunately, much money is being wasted on politically endorsed curricula that are not necessarily demonstrably benefiting students, such as Social Emotional Learning (SEL), teacher union-backed Critical Race Theory (CRT), and radical gender ideology. In the end, education starts in the home, and throwing money at schools will not begin to fix the myriad societal ills that plague schools today. Education needs reform, not money.

Luis (Yes)

While it is a fact that the country’s education problem is difficult to solve, more funding is a viable solution that past presidents have certainly been in favor of. After all, a high flow of money would provide academic institutions with better resources that would come in handy for students. These include technology, textbooks, and classroom materials that will eventually enhance the learning experience and increase security in schools located in dangerous areas.

More funding could be the most efficient way to solve America’s education crisis as it will not only attract better teachers but also retain high-quality ones. The reason behind such a reality is that more funding will offer more competitive salaries, which will make many academic institutions that can be seen as unattractive as professional development opportunities.

Additionally, more funding will be the best way to solve one of the main pillars of America’s education problems: the poor state of many schools and academic institutions’ infrastructure. More money will allow local leaders to pay for numerous upgrades such as modernization, renovations, and even major repairs, along with allowing schools to have more teachers and smaller class sizes. With better infrastructure, schools and academic institutions will be able to offer safer and better learning environments for students. 

Finally, more funding could answer America’s education problem as more resources would allow schools and academic institutions to invest in better equipment and up-to-date technology, ensuring that all students can have full access to the proper tools for 21st-century learning. America’s education problem is not an easy one to fix. However, more funding could be the key.