Vivek Ramaswamy: Some Teachers Are Underpaid
From Vivek’s op-ed:
A 19-year-old woman in Connecticut grabbed headlines last week for graduating from her public high school with honors—even though she can’t read. She is suing the school board for negligence.
She isn’t alone in her experience. U.S. reading scores are at an all-time low. Nearly 40% of eighth graders can’t do basic division. The failure of our education system puts at risk the survival of our country in a competitive global economy. Fifteen- and 16-year-old Chinese students outperform Americans in math by more than four full academic years. Singaporeans outperform Americans by more than five years. A generation of illiterate, innumerate graduates is a geopolitical death sentence.
Policymakers in both parties deserve blame for this bleak reality. Democrats’ emphasis on educational “equity” has diluted their focus on improving achievement, while the GOP’s focus on combating left-wing cultural overreach—while correct on the merits—has eclipsed its efforts to improve outcomes in math, reading and writing. Both camps have ignored a key underlying cause of the educational achievement crisis: Compensation for public school teachers rewards mediocrity over merit.
…
Unlike other countries that have adopted merit-based reforms, education in the U.S. is administered locally. This means states must lead the way. School choice is a strong solution to hold public schools accountable, but Americans should want their public schools to be well-positioned to compete against private alternatives. Governors should remember that our best K-12 educators aren’t paid enough, while the worst ones are overpaid. Thankfully, there’s an unusually easy fix—straightforward, proven and just—if we can muster the courage to implement it.
Read the full op-ed here.