It’s a sad day when you find out that Santa Claus doesn’t exist, because then you realize that your childhood aspirations of having a reindeer-riding career are over.
It’s even worse when you find out that Superman doesn’t exist, because then you realize that there’s no one’s coming to save us.
At least, that’s how Geoffrey Canada, an education reformer featured prominently in the new documentary “Waiting For Superman,” puts it.
According to the film, by the time we graduate there will be 123 million jobs requiring high skill sets. Only 50 million of us will be qualified to fill them.
“Either kids are getting stupider every year, or something is wrong with the education system,” Canada says. And there’s no bird, plane or flying hero to come fix it all.
Amid all the protests, pulled fire alarms and talk of budget cuts, it’s easy to get caught up in the fervor – which will probably make this next statistic come as a great surprise.
California actually spends 40 to 50 percent of its budget on education. In fact, our per pupil spending, when compared to the other 49 states, is in the middle.
Certainly doesn’t seem that way, does it? “That can’t be right!” you cry. “Hello, 32 percent tuition hike? Big budget, my ass!”
This sentiment also rings true. The majority of our education budget goes toward K-12 education. The universities, especially the UC system, have suffered mightily.
Twenty-five years ago, we spent 4 percent on our prisons and 11 percent on universities; today we spend 9.5 percent on prisons and only 5.7 percent on universities. That’s certainly a far fall from grace.
When it comes to our K-12 system, the question was never whether we spent enough money, but rather how we spent that money. When it comes to our universities, the question is always how can we get more – more financial aid, more capacity and more opportunities.
But simply asking and protesting for more doesn’t, and won’t, work. Here’s why.
“Once upon a time” is the perennial opening to every classic fairy tale. There’s a joke that today, fairy tale begin with the words “If I were elected.” Because it’s certainly true that many of the promises politicians make on the campaign trail turn out to be fairy tales – they sound nice and idealistic, but in the end, they turn out to be just that – fantasies.
Education reform is one such fairy tale. It’s been put on the back burner time and time again, and repeated calls to action have fallen on deaf ears.
More for our universities! Sorry guys, we’ve got a war abroad. But our standards are failing, and we aren’t preparing our students for the workplace! Sorry kids, we’ve got a recession.
Clearly, the state legislatures aren’t going to help much. So, instead of asking for a better hand, we must play with the cards we’re dealt.
Since we’re spending so much on K-12, and that money hasn’t been producing any results, should we then be diverting more of it to the universities, which have been, and are heavily in need of it?
If it comes down to appropriation, which is more important – the development of our younger students, or the funding of higher education?
On the one hand, kindergarten was a place filled with burps, coloring crayons, and ABCs. But if we fall behind early on, it becomes harder to catch up later. On the other hand, college is filled with weed, parties, and hook-ups. But it’s also where we become prepared for the workplace.
About a month and a half ago, when State Treasurer Bill Lockyer came to this campus to give a talk on the state of public education, he told a very interesting story:
Back in the 1970s, there was a group of three developing nations that were all struggling to boost their economies – Jamaica, Nigeria, and Singapore. Jamaica’s GDP per capita was around $2,800, Nigeria’s around $500 and Singapore’s around $4,000.
Jamaica, blessed with beautiful beaches and beautiful women, invested heavily in tourism. Nigeria, filled with the world’s black gold, invested in exploitation of its natural resources. Singapore looked sadly at its neighbors, knowing that it had neither of these, and decided instead to invest in higher education.
As of 2008, Jamaica’s GDP per capita is around $5,400 and Nigeria’s is around $1,300. Singapore’s GDP per capita is over $37,000.
These principal investments were of course not the only factors playing into each countries’ respective growth (or lack thereof), but it is undeniable that investment in higher education does work.
A more skilled work force brings more investors, more jobs, and, in turn, more wealth.
It’s difficult to determine whether K-12 education or universities are more significant in the overall development of our nation’s prosperity. Clearly, what we have been given must be better appropriated to maximize the benefits of our nation’s crown jewels – our colleges.
Instead of asking for more, requests that will continue to land on the back burner of politicians’ agendas, let’s see how we can appropriate what we currently have in a better way and shift the focus of our attention to a problem that actually can be solved.
To transform this fairy tale into a tale of reality.
Because frankly, I’m tired of being Lois Lane.
And simply waiting for Superman is no longer going to cut it.