RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012

www.PosterPresentations.com

Education

44

55

1

US Opinion of Public Funding For Private Education

FavorOpposeDon't know/Refused

The effectiveness of America’s education demands attention to factors that determine how its schools operate and perform. Much of this, for better or worse, relies on money from the taxpayer as well as an actively involved government. These affect teachers and students both within the public educational system and outside of it. The student’s environment has also drawn some political scrutiny, pertaining to issues such as bullying and school choice.

The Chicago Teachers Union held a strike last year in September against Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and the Chicago Public Schools. The strike gained nationwide attention and went on for over a week. It resulted in a compromise; in the favor of Mayor Emmanuel and the Chicago Public Schools, the school day was lengthened and student test scores were included in evaluations of teachers. In the union’s favor, pay raises of 17 percent would be extended to teachers over the next four years and the school system would reserve half of any new job openings for laid-off teachers with strong ratings.

Under the Budget Control Act of 2011, which received substantial bipartisan support in Congress, federal spending for New York schools was reduced by the budget sequestration that went into effect on March 1, 2013. This first wave of spending cuts totals about $85 billion nationwide and is aimed at shrinking the federal deficit. $42.7 million of this effects New York’s primary and secondary schools, resulting in hundreds of teacher and aide jobs being at risk as well as over 100 schools losing funding, leading to potential closures of these schools. In addition, approximately $36.3 million was slashed from the paychecks of faculty and staff helping children with disabilities.

2013 Sequestration Primary/Secondary Education Performance

In 2009, President Obama launched a federal educational initiative called “Race to the Top”. Its purpose is to provide financial incentives for states to develop their own reforms in order to improve the effectiveness of their schools. States taking part in the initiative essentially compete with each other for these incentives. Critics of the program, such as Texas Governor Rick Perry, state that it gives the federal government overly far-reaching influence on education and that the states alone are better equipped to enact such reform. To date, 19 states including New York have successfully attained funding through Race to the Top.

Kevin Kelly

Recommendations

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

35.13031.6 33.5

8th Grade Achievement Level

New York Proficiency % US Proficiency %

Reading Math

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

35 35.932.4

39.7

4th Grade Achievement Level

New York Proficiency % US Proficiency %

Reading Math

66

30

4

US Opinion of Student Attendance at Charter Schools

FavorOpposeDon't know/Refused

Introduction

There is disagreement throughout the country regarding whether or not taxpayer dollars should be used for school vouchers, which allow parents to apply tuition toward a private school of their choice instead of the public school to which their children are assigned by the state. Under non-voucher systems, a parent must pay both private and public fees for their child to attend a private school. Those opposed to school vouchers are concerned that they put some public schools under too much financial risk by drawing necessary funding away from teachers’ salaries and school facilities. They additionally believe that state-funded vouchers blur the separation between church and state. In support of vouchers, it has been argued that they promote competition among private and public schools, which drives them to seek improvement and reform, especially in the case of failing schools. Supporters have also stated that vouchers allow parents the freedom to decide the type of education their children receive without essentially paying a “penalty” for non-public education.

A poll conducted jointly by Gallup and Phi Delta Kappa (see graphs under “Opinion on Vouchers”) reveals that last year, twice as many Americans at least 18 years of age supported education at charter schools – independently-run institutions subject to government funding and part of the standard public educational regulations – as those who opposed it. However, when asked for their opinion on taxpayer funding for private (i.e. religious) schools, slightly more than half of Americans opposed it.

Incidents such as the suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi in 2010 have prompted federal and state governments to consider new anti-bullying legislation. Clementi killed himself after finding out that his roommate Dharun Ravi had set up a webcam in the room to show Clementi’s intimate encounter with another man to his fellow students. Ravi was subsequently charged with invasion of privacy among other counts and sentenced to 30 days in prison and 3 years of probation. This and other recent bullying occurrences resulting in suicide among students in various levels of education has brought certain pieces of legislation such as the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act in Congress up for discussion. A report by the the U.S. Department of Education shows that 46 states had enacted legislation mandating schools to have policies against bullying between 1991 and 2011.

2012 Chicago Teachers’ Strike

Vouchers

BullyingRace to the Top

Opinion on Vouchers

Report compiled by EPE Research Center (2012)

Poll conducted by Gallup/PDK (2012)