| If more money meant better education for our | | | | Home-schooled kids scored in the 75th to 85th |
| kids, our public schools should have vastly | | | | percentile range, compared with the 50th |
| improved over the last 75 years. Yet the | | | | percentile national average for public-school |
| reverse is true. In dollars adjusted for | | | | students across the country. |
| inflation, public schools spent about $876 | | | | |
| per year for elementary and secondary school | | | | The study found that in every subject and |
| students in 1930, when student literacy rates | | | | grade level of the ITBS battery of tests, |
| were close to 90 percent. In contrast, in | | | | home-schooled students scored significantly |
| 2003 public schools spent about $7500 per | | | | higher than public and private school |
| student, while literacy rates fell to the | | | | students. On average, homeschool students in |
| 50-70 percent level in many public schools. | | | | the first to fourth grades performed one |
| | | | grade level higher than comparable public and |
| In the year 2000, the five states whose | | | | private school students. By the fifth grade, |
| students got the highest SAT scores were | | | | the gap began to widen, and by the eighth |
| North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and | | | | grade, the average home-schooled student |
| South Dakota. Yet, per-pupil spending in | | | | performed four grade levels above the |
| North Dakota ranked forty-first among the | | | | national average. |
| states, in Iowa twenty-fifth, Wisconsin | | | | |
| tenth, Minnesota sixteenth, and South Dakota | | | | Home-schooling parents not only give their |
| a lowly forty-eighth. | | | | kids a superior education, but spend far less |
| | | | than public schools. For example, some |
| In contrast, the District of Columbia had the | | | | excellent phonics reading programs cost less |
| fourth highest per-student spending of all | | | | than $150. Even if we assumed that an average |
| the states but ranked almost at the bottom of | | | | homeschooling parent spent about $1500 a year |
| the list (50th out of 50 states and the | | | | on learn-to-read or learn-math books, |
| District of Columbia) in student achievement. | | | | computer learning software, and other |
| Clearly, there is little correlation between | | | | learning materials, that is about one-quarter |
| money spent per student and student | | | | the average $7500-a-year that public schools |
| achievement. | | | | spend per student. Clearly, once again, it is |
| | | | obvious that more money for public schools |
| A 1990 Rand Corporation study showed that | | | | does not guarantee a better education for our |
| private Catholic schools do a better job | | | | kids. |
| educating children than public schools. The | | | | |
| study compared thirteen New York City public, | | | | For over 40 years they have been trying to |
| private, and Catholic high schools that had | | | | "fix" the public schools. That's long enough. |
| many minority students. | | | | I think that after 40 years we can safely |
| | | | conclude that the government bureaucrats who |
| Yet, the average annual tuition costs for | | | | run these schools are not up to the task of |
| Catholic and Protestant-affiliated schools | | | | giving our kids the great education they |
| for the 2002-2003 school year were | | | | deserve. |
| approximately $3500-$4000 per | | | | |
| elementary-school pupil and $5500-$6000 per | | | | Public schools are beyond repair and can not |
| Secondary school pupil. The average | | | | be fixed, ever, simply because they are a |
| public-school cost per pupil was | | | | government owned-and-operated coercive |
| approximately $7500. Catholic and | | | | monopoly that strangles a free market in |
| Protestant-affiliated schools therefore give | | | | education and parental choice. Throwing more |
| their students a better education for less | | | | hundreds of billions of tax dollars at these |
| money than public schools spend. | | | | schools is a complete waste of time and a |
| | | | criminal waste of precious resources, |
| When we compare the academic record of | | | | including our children's minds and future. |
| home-schooled vs. public-school students, the | | | | |
| cost vs. achievement differences are even | | | | It's time we scrapped the public-school |
| more startling. In 1998, the Home School | | | | system. Let's just bury this education |
| Legal Defense Association commissioned Larry | | | | dinosaur, once and for all. Once public |
| Rudner, statistician and measurement expert | | | | schools were scrapped, we can then give |
| at the University of Maryland, to do a study | | | | parents back the thousands of dollars a year |
| on the academic achievement levels of | | | | they now pay for school taxes or income taxes |
| home-schooled students. | | | | that propped up the public schools. With |
| | | | these tax refunds, parents can then pay for |
| The study tested 20,000 home-schooled | | | | their own children's education in a fiercely |
| students on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills | | | | competitive education free market in which |
| (ITBS). The study found that home-schooled | | | | the quality of education for our kids keeps |
| students did extremely well on the test | | | | getting better, while tuition costs go down. |
| compared to public school students. | | | | |