If you care about those at the bottom then you are wasting your time and everyone else’s time unless you focus on one and only one phenomenon: the inequality of educational opportunity.
John Goodman, one of the nation’s foremost health care experts, wrote recently about education in a piece titled, “Silence of the Left.”
“The topic du jour on the left these days is inequality. But why does the left care about inequality? Do they really want to lift those at the bottom of the income ladder? Or are they just looking for one more reason to increase the power of government?”
“If you care about those at the bottom then you are wasting your time and everyone else’s time unless you focus on one and only one phenomenon: the inequality of educational opportunity. Poor kids are almost always enrolled in bad schools. Rich kids are almost always in good schools.”
Goodman cites a study by researchers at Southern Methodist University and the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank that found that North Dallas houses near higher-ranking elementary schools sold for about 20 percent more than houses near lower-ranking schools. He then asks: “If the system works well for those who have money, how does it work for those who don’t? What happens to families who cannot afford to buy a house in an expensive neighborhood?” His answer: “Unfortunately, they’re out of luck.”
Goodman concludes: “Here is the uncomfortable reality: Our system of public education is one of the most regressive features of American society.”
His solution: “There is almost nothing we could do that would be more impactful in reducing inequality of educational opportunity and inequality overall than to do what Sweden has done: give every child a voucher and let them select a school of choice.”
By John Goodman
John Goodman, one of the nation’s foremost health care experts, wrote recently about education in a piece titled, “Silence of the Left.”
“The topic du jour on the left these days is inequality. But why does the left care about inequality? Do they really want to lift those at the bottom of the income ladder? Or are they just looking for one more reason to increase the power of government?”
“If you care about those at the bottom then you are wasting your time and everyone else’s time unless you focus on one and only one phenomenon: the inequality of educational opportunity. Poor kids are almost always enrolled in bad schools. Rich kids are almost always in good schools.”
Goodman cites a study by researchers at Southern Methodist University and the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank that found that North Dallas houses near higher-ranking elementary schools sold for about 20 percent more than houses near lower-ranking schools. He then asks: “If the system works well for those who have money, how does it work for those who don’t? What happens to families who cannot afford to buy a house in an expensive neighborhood?” His answer: “Unfortunately, they’re out of luck.”
Goodman concludes: “Here is the uncomfortable reality: Our system of public education is one of the most regressive features of American society.”
His solution: “There is almost nothing we could do that would be more impactful in reducing inequality of educational opportunity and inequality overall than to do what Sweden has done: give every child a voucher and let them select a school of choice.”
