Bryanna Sierra English 1102 Professor Sippy 9 April 2013 Inquiry Project: Academic Conversation Draft #2 Money and

Education is no foreign topic to most anyone, anywhere. There are many ways and entwinements between the two heated topics. Money has a stereotype of being able to buy a reputable education. Whether this is by means of being in a private primary education or private secondary education. The belief of stereotyping money in education is deeply ingrained in society. 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 juxtaposition 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 Shelly in his novel Money, Mandates, and Local Control in American Public Education speaks about this and also arises another important topic, autonomy. The autonomy levels associated with money play a key role in private v. 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? Government should allow slack on this strong linear correlation because

although it is important that the public sector maintain a strong across the border foundation. 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. These budget busters seem to be 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 analyze past and present required state testing. This is another key correlation to dissect in the study between money and education. 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 look at test scores. Student reflections, parental reflections, mastery of skills, and happiness are also very important. 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. Private schools incorporate an aspect that is crucial to the continuance of public education and that is, competition. I believe that 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). 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. 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 in which tailor different student needs. 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. I believe 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. Others need to guide themselves through a public education system in order to learn responsibility. Some 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. I truly believe the relationship between money and education is vital to the healthy competition that drives the education system.