Ben Carson accidentally stumbled on a great idea for improving education
Last year, Ben Carson appeared to endorse a massive change in the way the US funds schools, asking reporter James Hamblin, "Wouldn’t it make more sense to put the money in a pot and redistribute it throughout the country so that public schools are equal, whether you’re in a poor area or a wealthy area?" The implicit idea here, of federalizing education funding and trying to eliminate the budget gap between rich and poor schools, is way more progressive than anything even Bernie Sanders has proposed. So CNN's Jake Tapper pressed Carson further, and he stuck to his guns:
Realizing the confusion he'd provoked, Carson took to Facebook to clarify that, no, he does not want to federalize education funding. He just wants to use federal Title I funds to help schools in poor areas — which is what Title I was created to do in the first place:
But Carson got it right the first time. Federalizing funding of public schools would be a huge boon for both economic and racial equality. It would make our tax system much more progressive and protect schools from cuts during recessions. If Carson's not willing to endorse the idea, then someone else in the presidential race should.
Rich districts spend more per student than poor districts
Nationwide, state and local governments spend 15 percent less per pupil on poor school districts, which get $9,270 per student, than on rich districts, which get $10,721. This isn't true in every state. Twenty-three states, including major ones like California and Florida, provide more spending to poor districts. That's as it should be. Quality education in high-poverty areas costs more money than quality education in affluent Ben Carson accidentally stumbled on a great idea for improving education - Vox: