I listened to the Governor’s State of the State speech
last night. I perused the speech this
morning (click here to read). In fact, I had my computer search the text
for references for the word “education.”
It was mentioned in the context
of privatizing school buses, the funding mechanism for higher education, and charter
schools being innovators.
There has to be more. I searched the text again using the word “school”
and found two references. These two references
were related to higher education funding mechanisms.
One of the most important
responsibilities of our state is public education, but it was generally missing
from the speech.
The speech was focused on jobs and
economic development. But education was
missing.
As William Schweke points out in his
book Smart Money: Education and Economic Development,
education is a critical component to economic development in the community. He states, “A compelling body of research
links primary and secondary education to economic development and growth. This
research recognizes people as a type of economic asset – ‘human capital’ – and
shows that increased investment in health, skills, and knowledge provides
future returns to the economy through increases in labor productivity.
Education increases workers’ average earnings and productivity, and it also
reduces the incidence of social problems such as drug abuse, crime, welfare
dependency, and lack of access to medical care, all of which can weigh heavily
on the economy.”
What provides a significant
return?
- Research indicates an emphasis on pre-school education has a great return on investment with a “decreased likelihood for preschool participants to repeat grades, require remedial education, be incarcerated for crimes, and become dependent on welfare.”
- Quality elementary and secondary education programs are critical, too. "Education spending can have a direct, positive impact on the business climate and can improve the success of at-risk students, whose contributions to the economy are critical for achieving a high-value/high-wage economy in the 21st century. Such spending will have a greater chance of success if coupled with specific reforms, such as smaller class sizes, greater access to technology for at-risk students, support for teacher training and innovation, and improved accountability structure."
