Bryanna Sierra English 1102 Professor Sippy 9 April 2013 Inquiry Project: Academic Conversation The relationship between

money and education is deeply ingrained in numerous societies. There are many correlations between the two passionate topics. There is a stereotype associated with money and being able to buy a more reputable education through the private education system. This belief is upheld in many cultures all over the world. The thoughts behind public education and the money funded at various governmental levels holds a couple different key positions in society. Public education can be said to only muddle through the routine in order pass required state testing and keep their funding. Others believe teacher effectiveness in public education plays a key role in the correlation between money and education. There are many views to dissect on this controversial topic. I believe both sides hold strong arguments that I plan to dissect in order to construct my own judgment on money and education. There is a direct relationship between the amount of money a school receives and the control it proportionally hands over to the government. This strong linear correlation described by Bryan Shelly in his novel Money, Mandates, and Local Control in American Public Education. The novel speaks about this and also broaches another important topic, autonomy. The autonomy levels associated with money play a key role in private versus public education systems. Should public schools accept such a lack of autonomy and decision making power that they can consequently make for their students, just in order to keep funding? The reason that the government can reign over the public education system is because they are dependent on one another. This dependency is what limits the

level of autonomy (Shelly 26). The government should allow slack on this grip. Although it is important that the public sector maintain a strong across the border foundation, attention to detail in an education system is just as crucial. More precise observations can be made locally and this can help create an education more tailored to the specific students in an education system. Money in the public education can also be seen in terms of programs enacted, such as the well-known No Child Left Behind Act (Shelly 132). These budget busters are an extremely heated topic in society. The reason being is these acts dispense a lot of tax money into the public education system and its effectiveness is key in the process of determining its worth. In Holmlund, McNally, and Viarengos, Does Money Matter For Schools? They conducted an extensive eight-year study on the increased budget allowance for public schools in England and found in the end, that the governments increase in spending was worth the investment. They measured the success of the program by analyzing past and present required state testing. This is another key correlation to dissect in the study between money and education (Holmlund 18). In another study in Saudi Arabia it was found that there was in fact an ever-growing stigma associated with the private school education laying down a better foundation down for their students. The study observed long-term success of students in both public and private education systems. It was concluded that students in these low-income homes, in public education, did just as well peers in the private education (Deraney 5). There is, of course, culture-based differences in these two studies. However I believe those are subtle, the real dividing factor was the way that both studies evaluated overall success.

One may wonder though, what actually determines a student's overall success in an education system. Money is a prominent component in the outcome of students but I believe one should beyond just test scores. Student reflections, parental reflections, mastery of skills, and happiness are also very important (Deraney 6). By touching on different aspects and different studies in my research I was able to see the different ways in which money influences the education system. I believe that there are many different ways to measure effectiveness of an education system. I also believe however that it an extremely element of education measure. This is because what is effective to one person could be seen as ineffective to another, and vice versa. When analyzing my topic I made sure to look at sources that measured effectiveness in money and education in multiple different ways. This way I could see many different angles when forming my own opinion on the topic. Private schools incorporate an aspect that is crucial to the continuance of public education and that is, competition. Different education systems and styles are more properly suitable to certain students. This competition allows the survival of both public and private education systems. Private schools on average save the U.S. government up to $200 million dollars a year (Wane 7). As most know the budget for public education is already very tight. Cuts in this budget are frequently discussed economically in the U.S government. This can at times push the favoritism towards private education. This by no means threatens the survival of public education but instead pushes this economic gap within the middle class (Pedro 678). The relationship between public and private education has helped to balance some of the budget issues debated. This creates a supply and demand curve that is vital in the drive for competition. The reason is that not

everyone has the means to obtain a private education but in return this allows for both education systems to flourish in different means of money and education styles. Both of which tailor different student needs. In my interview with Zac Bissonnette, he talks about how the private education system really helps students who dont get enough attention at home. This could mean not only attention to their schoolwork but really also to the fundamental character of the child. Private schools can balance that lack of attention in home life by addressing and focusing on the individual (Bissonnette). Public schools can be compared to a chain food restaurant; they tend to have a large menu to cater many people. Private schools can be compared to small family run restaurants, they tend to know their regular customers and a have a smaller more dedicated menu. Money and education can be directly correlated to a business and a market. As funds funnel into the system a diminishing return can be directly calculated. This is the point of balance we desire in the end. It is fundamental to keep in mind the overall success that is derived from the relationship between money and education. Though this is an extremely difficult topic to judge because assessing success can be done in numerous ways. By analyzing multiple studies and even applying research from other cultures that aim towards a similar relationship I was able to formulate my own personal opinion of the topic. My primary research played a large component in my comprehending of the relationship between money and education. Zac Bissonnette is a well known author of two books based entirely based around the topic of money and education. He is also an economic speaker of the topic for worldwide websites and television shows. His research focuses primarily around secondary education, with a focus on public versus private

institutions, and the debt load. We discussed a lot about the difference between public and private colleges. Bissonnette and I both attended schools in public, private, and charter education system- this being one of the main reasons I am fascinated by this topic. Bissonnette attended a public education system for college. He found that in all of his research there was never any cold hard facts or statistics proving that private colleges were in anyway more effective at teaching students (Bissonnette). I also conducted a small survey to get another perspective on the topic. I found that overall students didnt feel there was a huge gap between the public and private education system in terms of freewill and influence of money in their education (Sierra). I formed a very similar opinion once I compiled and analyzed all of my research. Private education systems may have a stigma associated with better networks and opportunities but what we know is not enough. We dont have enough proof that you will be more successful at a private college to pay the extra average twenty thousand dollars a year. The average net price of tuition and fees for a public institution for the 20122013 academic year averaged $8,560. The average net price of tuition and fees for a private institution was $29,060 (Trends in Higher Education). When evaluating these steep price tags it is important to weigh what goes in and what comes out. The reality as Bissonnette states is that we ultimately just dont have enough proof. An extremely valid point he does make however is that many people are in the middle ground. What this means is that a large majority of society is able to come up with the means to afford a private education at some point, whether it be at the primary or secondary education level. Bissonnette states that through his research I mentioned before private can help individualize education at a young age when students are starting to form habits. This is the key age to instill good drive and determination in

education. By college most students have a routine and will generally ride down that path. Though this is not in any way saying you are the person youre ultimately going to be once you get to college. This just means that at this point most habits and study skills have been rooted in the student (Bissonnette). From my research this semester I can conclude that money does create a network and reputation for itself. However I also believe that the effectiveness of an education system solely depends on the students needs. Some students are lacking parental attention and therefore need more hands on private school with small classroom sizes. There is an imperfect situation for families who cannot afford to send their children to private school. In this case we can only hope that the programs enacted such as federal grants and loans can soften this hardship on these families as they are intended to do (Shelly 145). Some students need to guide themselves through a public education system in order to learn responsibility. All schools can acclimate students differently than others. Private schools allow for a free market experience. Parents are able to shop for different needs and wants for their student. This includes teaching styles, athletics, and much more. The reason I find this topic so fascinating is because I have intended schools from both education systems. I found my experience different, but in many ways the same. Once I did my research I was able to see beyond the surface stigmas. I truly believe the relationship between money and education is vital to the healthy competition that drives the education system.

Work Cited: Bissonnette, Zac. Personal Interview. 16 April 2013.

Deraney, Philline M, Abdelsalam, Hanadi M. Private vs. Pubic School Education as a Predictor For Success For Female Students at a Pricate University in Saudi Arabia. Researchers world: Journals of Arts, Science, and Commerce 3.1 (2012): 1-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.

Shelly, Bryan. Money, Mandates, and Local Control in American Public Education. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 2011. Print. 10 Mar. 2013.

Sierra, Bryanna. Education Inquiry Survey. Survey. 12 April 2013.

Trends in Higher Education. The College Board. n.d. Web 12 April 2013

Pedro, Teixeira, et al. Myths, Beliefs and Realities: Public-Private Competition and Program Diversification in Higher Education. Journal of Economic Issues 46.3 (2012): 678-703. EconLit. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.

Holmlund, Helena; McNally, Sandra; Viarengo, Martina. Does Money Matter For Schools?. Centre for the Economics of Education. 27 pp. (2009): 1-22. ERIC. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.

Wane, Joanna. The Private School Debate Are They Worth The Money? North and South. 8p. (2012). 32-41. MasterFILE complete. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.