U.S. Education Spending Tops Other Countries – But Who’s Benefiting?
By Tim Walker
During the worse years of the economic crisis, United States was one of the few nations who actually decreased its investment in education. Between 2008 and 2010, education spending in the U.S. dropped by 1%, as it increased by an average 5% in other countries, according to the2013 “Education At a Glance,” the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) annual survey of global education trends. Joining the United States in pulling back its education investment are Estonia, Hungary, Italy and Iceland.Still, in terms of real dollars, overall education spending in the United States tops the other OECD nations. Across all levels of education, the United States spent $15,171 per student in 2010. In total, education expenditures amounts to around 7.3% of its gross domestic product. The OECD average is 6.3%. But the dollar amount and student results don’t match. For example, the United States is falling behind in college completion rates and its investment in early childhood education lags most other nations. Why the