Our guest
blogger today is Shari Prest, President of ARK Associates. Shari's Talking Points are for use and sharing by educational leaders in Minnesota. We encourage our members to use the following as a tool...
Key Messages:
- History attests to the connection between prosperity, independence, and power, and a high-quality and equitable system of public education.
- The foundational principles of public education are worth protecting and promoting, even as private and sectarian competition for public dollars increases.
- Public education has continually evolved to meet the needs of an ever-changing world.
Centuries ago, before the United States of America existed as a country, most learning happened in homes. Parents taught their children or, in privileged families, private tutors did the job. After the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson argued that the newly-independent nation needed a system of public education. He suggested that tax dollars be used to fund it. Although he argued unsuccessfully, an increased emphasis began to be put on education. President John Adams stated in 1785 letter to reformer John Jebb, "The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it." And so America's determined effort for an educated populace and a prosperous future began.
"By the 1840s, a few public schools had popped up around the country in the communities that could afford them. However, that smattering of schools wasn't good enough for education crusaders Horace Mann of Massachusetts and Henry Barnard of Connecticut" (Watson). They began calling for free, compulsory school for every child in the nation. They were eventually joined by others who recognized that an accessible system of public education was key to the future of our democracy and prosperity. The first compulsory school education law was passed in 1852.
By the year 1870, all states had free elementary schools, and the U.S. population had one of the highest literacy rates in the world. In a speech to a veterans group in 1875, President Ulysses S. Grant called for a Constitutional amendment that would mandate free public schools and prohibit the use of public money for sectarian schools. Grant laid out his agenda for "good common school education." Grant declared that "Church and State" should be "forever separate." Religion, he said, should be left to families, churches, and private schools devoid of public funds.
By 1900, 34 states had compulsory schooling laws. In thirty of those states, attendance was required until age 14 or older. By 1918, every state required students to complete elementary school.
However, a disjointed approach to schooling resulted in many inequities. Often, schools served only boys whose families could afford the tuition. Large groups of children - including African Americans, Native Americans, many girls, and some poor white children who did not belong to a church - were excluded from school by law or custom. Finally, in 1954 public schools became open to people of all races.
For much of the 20th century, parents really had two choices - either send their children to the public school in their district, or pay for a private school. Today, however, the growth of charter and magnet schools has increased the number of publicly-funded educational opportunities available to students.
Public education is a constitutional priority in Minnesota as one of only two full funding obligations created by the Minnesota Constitution. The state's responsibilities can be found in Article XIII, Section 1, which says:
"... it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state."
According to non-partisan think tank Minnesota 2020, "Minnesota - the brain power state, the bright Star of the North - spends less on public elementary and secondary education than the U.S. average. Over the last decade, Minnesota's spending on public schools has gone from significantly above the U.S. average to modestly below."
The Way It Is - School Funding in Minnesota Today (P.S. Minnesota Fact Sheet, 2007)
- The current K-12 funding system is complicated, difficult to understand, and is not linked to helping students meet state and national academic standards.
- State funding for K-12 education has increased, but it has not kept pace with inflation and costs continue to rise for almost everything.
- As a result of increasing costs and flat state funding, many school districts have been forced to ask voters to fund local schools through operating levies. These levies are often used only to maintain current programs rather than adding to or enhancing programs.
- Districts have also been forced to drastically cut programs and services because funding from the state has not kept pace.
- The state and federal governments require expensive special education services but do not fully fund them. While these services are needed, districts must use general classroom dollars to make up the difference for these rapidly growing costs.
Throughout the centuries leaders in society have recognized the value and potential of public education for our prosperous and democratic future. The United States has arguably become the greatest country in the world based largely on that foundational premise. Minnesota has gone even farther and achieved even more with our constitutional commitment to public schools and the high quality education they provide to all learners. In recent years public schools have had to compete for the privilege of teaching Minnesota's children. They must compete with schools that don't serve all students or are not answerable to all of the same state and federal mandates that apply to traditional public schools. They must compete with private schools that pay much higher salaries to administrators.
Fortunately, Minnesota schools continue to measure up very well nationally and internationally. To increase the ability of Minnesota's public schools to meet new challenges, maintain our progress, and grow near areas of excellence we all need to work together, willing to invest and participate. As John Adams said near the birth of our country, "The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people..."
Resources:
Watson, Stephanie. "How Public Schools Work" 13 February 2008.
Watson, Stephanie, HowStuffWorks.com. <http://people.howstuffworks.com/public-schools.htm> 15 April 2013.
Minnesota Historical Society
League of Women Voters, Education Funding Briefing Paper
Minnesota 20/20
P.S. Minnesota, P.S. Minnesota fact sheet, 2007
