You're watching...
Hoover Institution scholar Dr. Bill Evers on whether taxpayers are getting what they pay for out of public education.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Well there is nothing -- get -- out of money we actually supported wholeheartedly.
Would you be surprised by this set of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Teachers make almost as much in terms of wages and benefits as private business or financial managers.
Teachers are far better wages and benefits than the average private sector worker.
Why are we getting what we -- when it comes to education the Hoover institution's task force on education recently released their annual list.
-- -- top ten best and worst events in American education for 2011.
Doctor bill -- joins us now to give us a preview of the three best and worst events.
Before we start with a list sir what is your overall -- of what's going on in the education system right now.
Well there's lots to be done our children.
Have a great deal potential it's on -- -- there's much room for improvement.
I I have three children in the public school system and I am fortunate enough to have fantastic teachers.
But there certainly are.
Well bad eggs among them and a boxing -- is I think one of the best things that could be done so one of the best things on your list was the teacher valuation system by Michelle -- Why did tell us about it.
Well Michelle -- sort of reform chancellor of the DC public schools that are in Washington.
And she left when they change -- And she set up excellent.
The valuation system so that teachers are -- performing could be excused if they couldn't -- do well once more help.
Everyone was worried with the new -- that the evaluation system would be lost but they decided to keep -- this is good news for Washington DC's children.
It's great news in you know the rest of us are jealous of DC's children because and fortunately again tenure keeps.
Last two days -- teachers in classrooms were kids wanna learn.
You know the role that the collective bargaining agreements also was a really big score -- 2011.
Yes.
When -- people are trying to get good teachers in the classroom.
We sometimes have.
While rules that arm make things in flexible we also have just districts that can't.
-- with the founder of -- budget tough times we're in now.
And these collective bargaining.
Arrangements have been crippling the schools.
And in several states.
Wisconsin.
Indiana.
Ohio and so forth they made tremendous progress on the other hand.
There was a roll back about progress that came in Ohio the voters decided.
Two.
Returned in flexible situation and now they face -- financial train wreck wryly.
Marion Ohio.
And that actually is on your worst of 2011.
List as well -- it is governor king in -- that yes that -- them was a big loss for the governor it of Ohio.
Another great thing that happened was discussions in vouchers available to the kids in -- in the district of Columbia's well.
Yes.
Opportunity scholarships or choice scholarships are vouchers RO a way that children can go.
To any school private or public.
And in Washington DC it looked like because of the Obama administration and the Democrats in congress have a very excellent program.
The children were thriving under particularly African American program that children org who was gonna go by the wayside.
Speaker Boehner right rescued -- there's also been a fabulous advance in Indiana with the most expansive.
Opportunity scholarship program in the country.
That -- that's great news for those kids.
You know over on the -- on the worst list and -- and I know planning -- teachers that almost but it.
Think the No Child Left Behind program was comical at this point.
It was bungled so poorly it wasn't it.
Well -- -- some things that need to be fixed I would say overall it's good to get an idea of how kids are learning.
Am so to have accountability for schools.
But they had some fixes -- needed to be made and congress has been stalling both parties Republicans and Democrats.
Have not done their job.
And at the same time President Obama.
Has turned to couple legally dubious really illegal.
Waivers.
-- a way to address the problems but really.
To.
Through the back door put in his favorite reforms without a basis in statute it's really quite trouble.
And you know the other.
Off hoping that have -- last year was this Atlanta cheating scandal and as we alluded to teachers making a lot of money many of them deserve it.
But because of this cheating scandal that it puts a really bad taste in your mouth.
It does mostly teaching profession are really excellent it's -- mobile calling.
This incident in.
-- Atlanta was one of the worst possible thing so we -- A 178.
Teachers and -- -- that collaborated.
And changing the results on tests that -- -- talked to see whether they were learning.
And they weren't and -- it very -- it was a terrible and it didn't help the kids at all sir thank you for being with us.
All right thank you so much but we have a special message from the -- Baxter.
