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Former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee discusses the cost of public education and its results across the country.
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Public education.
That just seems fair.
All kids -- -- of free education and it's the American melting pot everyone gets the same chance a level playing field.
But it's a -- the playing field is not level it's not a melting pot and most places many places not even an education.
Michelle -- knows about that she was school chancellor in Washington DC.
Where you tried to reform the system and made everybody -- and they lost the mayor election and you got voted out.
That -- -- what you're saying is is the truth.
This is not fair for kids in this country today if you are a child.
Who was born into poverty in America.
The chances that you'll ever be able to escape poverty -- -- not.
That goes against every American ideal that we have this country -- was founded.
On the belief that anybody people traditionally -- -- Progress right.
Right if you grit and determination you work hard you do the right thing you can live the American dream but that's not the reality for American considering you say it's because they get a lousy -- absolutely.
Absolutely so I'm told we just need to spend more.
The data shows that that is actually not that -- If you take out Washington DC is an example where out of the superintendent we -- spending.
More money than almost any other urban jurisdiction -- almost 20000 dollars person's right you have places like -- that's been 22000 dollars per student.
And -- the results.
Are absolutely abysmal so it's not a bit about the fact that there's a direct correlation between more money and better results in fact.
Over the last two to three decades in this country we've more than doubled the expect that we have a graph of this.
Almost tripled almost triple that and the results.
At best have remained stagnant and in many cases have gotten worse so where does that money go.
Well this is an example when I was -- superintendent in DC.
I inherited a central office that have more than a thousand employees.
By the time I left office we have less than 500 and everyone said that it was operating much more efficiently than it ever seen before.
So a lot of goes to a bloated bureaucracy.
And the thinking about this money again in the extreme -- Washington or new work about 20000 per student debts.
Half million dollars per classroom almost I think about the great teachers you -- -- for half a million dollars for classroom.
But if you look at what the private schools do we think of these private schools -- these cities where they charge a lot but the average private school in America.
Charges less than what the public schools -- pursued.
121000 vs about 8000.
And not all but on average do a better job the Catholic schools spend even less and do a better picture.
I mean the bottom line is that if you look at private schools -- some -- public charter schools.
They don't have to spend the money on the central office.
Bureaucracy and administration and that is where a lot of the dollars go in DC we spent about a billion dollars on education in the city.
But now when you look at what percentage of that -- in the classroom it was only 403 million of that.
So you -- -- that the majority of the dollar's not even going to the two teachers and and kids in the class from where it's gonna have the most impact.
The teachers union would say that that's not about that it's about the kids in those private schools they are parents chose to send them to that school so they have parents who care more.
We're stuck with the parents who don't care and that's why were struggling even though we get more money it.
You know I think at the end of the day their parents and every community who care about their kids.
And we are in an unfortunate situation where if you are apparent in the low income community and you care about tricky thing you don't want to bail them to -- send -- -- -- chronically failing school.
You don't have a lot of options and than some jurisdictions don't have any options except to continue to send them to a school that you know they're not gonna get a good education.
In the ideal world the money would be attached to the kid in the new kids could to -- schools would have to compete but.
I have to settle at this chart here why -- we -- public schools let's call what they are.
Government.
Schools because they're not very public he can't just walk into -- public school I can walk into a private supermarket -- for seven.
It's like everything else the government does -- clumsy.
Badly managed monopoly that doesn't serve its customers well -- don't call a government schools -- Government schools this is private school.
Well and the fact -- the public attend private schools right I think that we half to move.
Away from the idea of what is a public school what is a private school what is a charter school in almost sort of definitions and just focus on effective.
Our let's return of this issue of fairness people think with private schools all that's for the white people who have more money.
The melting pot there -- -- government education that puts everybody together.
But it's not even true research by Jay -- -- -- -- receive Arkansas from public schools were more.
Likely to be entirely white or entirely minority they're more segregated they needed a second study we checked who -- with whom in the cafeteria.
At the private schools different races were more likely to sit together.
For the most part our public school system is a very segregated.
School system and so you how is your sign by where you live right by where you live and and and typically neighborhood there are segregated as well.
-- so we don't have to your point.
The American melting pot of them are people want to believe you.
All right see you going to Washington you try to shake things up you find a loophole -- -- fires some teachers this doesn't make people happy one of the few teachers union bosses is willing to talk to me it was the head of the Washington union Nathan solider isn't.
I ask him about you and he said you've just made people had.
She upset.
Families communities students.
And teachers lot of people -- fire.
She said they deserve to be fired the system needs change while many of those thought she needs to be fired and you didn't quit before you were fired when the Merrill loss but.
You thought going -- and -- -- we're gonna make it better for the kids which means firing some bad teachers.
And you thought people would like that the voters didn't.
Well people did like it in many ways I mean we we reversed -- 41 year decline in enrollment in the public school district.
In Washington DC so for the first time in four decades in might last year we actually.
Grew the public confidence and trust in what we were doing because people.
-- -- shake -- they knew that was that's what was necessary.
To improve outcomes unfortunately you know a lot of people didn't like.
The fact that that we were impacting the security of the contract for the jobs of that are up.
And the district.
And the people who didn't like it are the organize unions who have money to give.
To campaign and.
Fact American Federation of Teachers put a million dollars in the campaign of my office.
Competitor specifically because they knew.
That if we were successful in Washington DC.
That that other cities would take notice and wanna do some of the same things and so now you have -- charity called students first which is raising money.
To fight back that's right if you look in this country over the last two to three decades.
Education agenda has largely been driven by special interest groups you have teachers union -- -- manufacturers -- testing companies.
And the problematic suasion is there it's no organized national interest group that's advocating on behalf of kids so that's exactly what we aim to difference -- -- won't know their -- thank you Michelle --
