Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version nyu B notes v1.5 12/10/84; site acf4.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!philabs!cmcl2!acf4!mms1646
From: mms1646@acf4.UUCP (Michael M. Sykora)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: How does education help all of us? Reply to Sykora
Message-ID: <1340024@acf4.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-85 10:24:00 EST
Article-I.D.: acf4.1340024
Posted: Sat Apr 20 10:24:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 22-Apr-85 06:53:26 EST
References: <593@whuxl.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 44


>/* orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) /  8:21 am  Apr 18, 1985 */

>In economic terms I mentioned this before but I will mention it again:
>according to the economist Dennison, major gains in productivity
>in this century are more highly correlated with improved education
>than with increased physical capital.  This only makes sense: if you
>work *smarter* you can work better.  Most of the advances in this century
>involve developments of technology- you cannot develop that technology
>with a group of illiterates.  There is a nice aphorism which applies
>here:
>"Give a person a fish and you will keep them fed for a day,
> Teach a person how to fish and they will be fed for their life."

>The effectiveness of this principle was shown in the results of a multiyear
>panel study of participants in Head Start programs vs poor children who
>hadn't been in Head Start.  The kids in Head Start programs grew up to
>have over twice the employment levels of those not in Head Start, they
>were several times more likely to go to college, they were much more likely
>to get professional jobs, they were several times *less* likely to
>have any criminal record.  Was it worth the relatively small amount
>spent on Head Start programs to provide poor children opportunities to
>learn and grow they had never had before? I think there is no doubt
>about it.  It costs $20,000 a year to keep criminals in prison.  If
>Head Start keeps even a fraction of poor kids from going on to crime
>and prison it is worth every penny spent on it.
 
It is certainly true that education benefits us all.  But what about the
net benefits?  Education isn't free.  I'm afraid "there is no doubt
about it" is not a convincing argument.  How about some facts to back that
up?

As Sowell pointed out in his "Ethnic America," education was not the key
to success for a great many immigrants who came here in the past two
centuries.  In fact, it was only after they had achieved a moderate
level of success, that their children were able to obtain education
at the college level.

Furthermore, by interfering in the market for education, the government
has created distortions.  The result of these distortions is that it
is now more difficult to succeed without "credentials."


					Michael Sykora