Learning Strategies

How we can solve the dismal state of so many of our schools that are educationally inadequate? We all know that throwing money at the problem won’t help, don’t we?

“Throwing money at the problem isn’t going to help,” says Stacey Turner.

“Educational problems can't be solved by throwing money at them,” writes Paul Ciotti of the Cato Institute.

“First lady Laura Bush was probably right when she said recently that it was time for us to pay more attention to boys. That is more likely to produce a solution than throwing money at a reorganization of our school,” writes economist James McCusker.

“Throwing money at the worst schools only rewards poor performance,” writes Kathleen Vail, Senior Editor of the American School Board Journal.

These people are confusing sufficient conditions with necessary conditions. Sure, throwing money at a problem isn’t sufficient to help, but it’s often necessary. It’s amazing what money can accomplish when it’s accompanied by thoughtful, research-based activities performed by the right people. With that combination, throwing money at a problem is exactly what’s needed.

Labels: teaching and learning