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Robert Winner

TEDCRED 50+

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Why does US education cost so much and still lacks a quality student

All of these figures are from the internet and only reflect Arizona.

1,077,831 students ... 51,947 teachers ... and spend $7,931 per child .... average pay is $44,642 for 180 days per year = $41 per hour ... budget request $42,339,949

With the info from above I multiplied the # students and cost per child and came up with 8,554,744,647 ... I cannot make any numbers match anywhere.

I knew that the Goldwater Institute looked into this not long ago ... they said there are three sets of books and none agree with the other.

We have $25 million from Race to the Top grant and $125,000 per year (grant) for four years to train teachers in the new Partnership for Assement of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). State and county training departments chage $100 per teacher to train them from the district. The district is not funded for this and not reimburssed although there is $26 million available and "earmarked" for training.

As hard as I try and even with help from the local school budget director I cannot make any of the figures "add up"

To me, it has become clear why our students have problems in math ... the federal and state education departments, legislators, unions, and the millions of hanger-on organizations all contribute to the "math madness" of the education system.

As "owners" of the public education system we must become more involved in the funding and operation of the system. This is a billion dollar system that we all gripe about and shake our heads but fail to question or get involved.

How can we "the owners" be better informed, involved, and effect change?

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  • george lockwood 20+

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    Jan 7 2013: It is out of control and no one wants it in control. Students don't vote, and many aren't interested in math anyway. What does that mean? You are looking at the wrong numbers because those who control them want you to do so. Keirsey in his first You Don't Understand Me book broke down the personalities of teachers in American public schools. You're getting what decision makers want - not college nerds or Juliard types. Get over it. Academics and art are not what the school boards want. The Feds see that the science and Engineering fountain doesn't run dry because thay are not complete idiots, but that's never going to rate with Bubba like the ball team.

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