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It is not surprising that the Ministry of Education is facing nearly 50 percent of the reduction in force after a notification on Tuesday this week. If Department of Education She was a public trading company, her shares would be in a free fall, analysts would issue terrible warnings, and the shareholders would invite the resignation of the executive director. Why? Because in the business world, companies that spend billions of dollars without achieving measurable success eventually collapse.
However, when it comes to government institutions, failure does not seem to have a consequence – except that the taxpayers who covered the bill. With the president Donald Trump Wanting to abolish the education department, should this agency be pierced long ago?
Nearly half of the staff of the Education Department to eliminate
Problem with the spending of the Department of Education
Since its founding in 1979, the Department of Education has stormed into the bureaucratic Behemot. In 2023, the Department’s budget was approximately $ 79.6 billion, not including an additional $ 120 billion in the pandemia of the schools assisted. Despite these astronomical figures, the effect of students in reading, mathematics and science or has stagnated or rejected in the last two decades.
Linda McMahon confirmed the Senate to run the Education Department. (Getty Images)
To put this in perspective, imagine whether a public trading company like Ford spent $ 200 billion over several years, but did not see an increase in the sale of vehicles, without improvement of safety and without innovation in product design. Investors would escape, the executives would be discharged and the company would probably face big challenges from the perspective of shares prices on Wall Street. Still, Department of Education It continues to spend overly on achieving meaningful results and without any responsibility.
Removal of the Education Department
Failed Reports Card
The national assessment of educational progress (NAEP), which is often referred to as national reports, consistently shows declining student achievements. In 2022. The results of mathematics and reading for 9-year-olds fell to levels that were not seen for decades.
US students took 28th place out of 37 OECD Mathematics Member States. Japanese students had the most mathematical results, and Colombian students achieved the lowest grade. The American scale was similar in 2018, the last time the test was conducted.
The American average result for mathematics dropped by 13 percentage points between 2018 and 2022, but now they were far from experiencing the result. In fact, 25 of the 37 OECD countries recorded the least decline in average mathematical results from 10 points from 2018 to 2022.
In science, Now took 12th place. Place Of 37 OECD countries. Japanese students occupied the highest and Mexican students are the lowest. The American average scientific result has been almost unchanged since 2018.
The education department failed. It is time for parents and states to take on leadership
In the OECD countries, far fewer countries have experienced a major decline in scientific results than in mathematical results. Seven countries of the OECD have noted that their average science results fall by 10 or more points.
High school graduates enter colleges or workforce with less knowledge of elementary subjects, and universities are forced to offer corrective courses with incoming freshmen. The investment refund is currently awful.
Bureaucratic nightmare
One of the greatest Problems with the Department of Education is a pure inefficiency. A significant part of his budget goes according to administrative costs, not to use students directly. Bureaucracy layers slow down progress, with funds directed through federal programs, state agencies and local school districts before they ever arrive in the classroom. When the money comes to students and teachers, much of this was absorbed by administrative directing costs.
Compare it to a company like Amazon. If Amazon experienced significant inefficiency in his supply chain – delayed delivery, lost resources, excessive administrative costs – his leadership would quickly affect the simplification of surgery or the risk of loss of customers from competitors. In the case of the Ministry of Education, there is no competition, and taxpayers remain the leg of the system for systemic inefficiency.
Reporting Card for Failed States proves that it is required to help change
No incentives for change
The publicly traded company must respond to shareholders. If the profit falls, changes must be made. But government agencies do not act according to the same rules. When the test results are decreasing, instead of demanding reforms, policy creators are often advocated for larger means – throwing good money after bad.
Consider the Blockbuster case. In the early 2000s, the blockbuster had resources and brand recognition to dominate the house party industry. But instead of adjusting to new trends, he continued to double his outdated model, while neglecting the increase in streaming services like Netflix. Result? The blockbuster stopped existing.
Department of EducationDespite their own failures, there is never a risk of it, as it is funded by taxpayers, not voluntary investors.
Trump has the opportunity to get rid of our broken education system
What to do?
If the education department is a company, complete restructuring should go through – or completely extinguish. The private sector has shown again that innovation and responsibility achieve success. Education should not be different.
Here are some possible solutions:
Decentralization – The Federal Government should take a step back and allow countries and local districts to take over more control. The educational policies they work in one region may not be effective in another, and local government allows for greater adaptability.
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Selection of school and competition – As a free market competition leads to better products and services, competition in education – through School choiceCharter Schools and Vaučar Programs – they could start innovation and improve students’ results.
Financing based on results – Instead of blindly increasing budgets, financing should be related to measurable improvements in the success of the students. If the school district fails to improve, it should not receive additional funds without implementing proven reforms.
Cutting bureaucratic waste – The private sector consistently finds ways to simplify surgery. The education system should not be different. Removing unnecessary administrative costs and diverting funds to teachers and classrooms would have a direct impact on the success of the student.
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The education department has iPo?
If the education department had publicly traded the company, it would have been spectacularly missed and started to give up – by burning in cash, not managing to give results and loss of confidence in the public. Unlike the failed job, however, it has an unlimited source of income in the form of dollars of taxpayers and there are no real consequences for poor performance. Without a serious reform, the only future he has is one of the continuous failures.
It is time to deal with business approach to education: reduce waste, demand results and bring real responsibility for the results that make us the largest country in the world. Otherwise, the Ministry of Education, as we know, will quickly have three letters on its tombstone … RIP.
