[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Educational Supply and Demand

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Educational Supply and Demand
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1240977827.shtml


   [1]The American Thinker is as regular a read as I have on my blogroll.
   I don't always agree with them. Sometimes, I can't even quite follow
   their lofty analysis. It is always informative and challenging. Take
   this recent post, "[2]Demand, not Supply Drives Education" by Robert
   Weissberg.

     Free market conservatives passionately insist that school choice
     will solve America's education woes. So as schools proliferate and
     competition heats up, academic achievement will soar just as fierce
     market competition has delivered better and cheaper computers and
     TVs. This seductive analogy is, unfortunately, hardening into
     unchallenged dogma. Worse, it misdiagnoses the problem. It is
     demand, not supply that drives academic attainment. In economic
     terms, Say's Law -- supply creates demand -- is wrong and Keynes --
     demand creates supply -- is correct. If youngsters and parents
     truly desired academic excellence, the market would happily supply
     it. Absent demand, no amount of supply, regardless of price, can
     whet appetites for learning.

   Exactly right. Now that I think of it. With Weissberg's help.
   In fact, isn't that what the public schools keep telling us? Give them
   motivated kids with involved parents and they'll go head to head with
   any other school. Of course, they usually then turn around and say all
   kids will succeed at their schools regardless.
   Turning loose the free market via vouchers or tax credits isn't going
   to suddenly get parents coming to conferences and volunteering at the
   school carnival. And K-12 students are still going to be kids,
   especially "in a society subordinating the acquisition of knowledge to
   non-academic pursuits" as Weissberg put it.
   Weissberg goes further to document just how many viable choices exist
   even now, some of which go wanting for lack of interest. If you want a
   good high school education you can get it, even if you don't think
   your public school is up to the job.
   It's a thoughtful piece and question. I'd add this, that one reason
   demand for education is down is that a number of parents have given
   up. Providing choice won't renew interest immediately, but over time
   it will draw a number of them back.

References

   1. http://www.americanthinker.com/
   2. http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/04/demand_not_supply_drives_educa.html