The Trump Administration is attempting to dismantle the Department of Education. This is an expensive mistake the United States simply cannot afford.
Of course, as the most recent former Secretary of Education, a product of a public school system, and a lifelong public educator, I have a unique insight into the value the department brings to our country. But beyond this experience, I understand that education must be a public good, not only because of the moral imperative, but because it makes economic sense.
With the dissolution of the Department of Education and increased pressures to privatize K-12 education, there are valuable lessons to be learned from the devastating impact for-profit interests had on higher education. When I was Secretary of Education, one of the most glaring problems that needed attention was the runaway costs and poor return on investment of many for-profit higher education institutions. Students were being sold a false pathway to prosperity from these for-profit colleges, which were often only interested in profits. When students completed the programs, many of them were saddled with debt but little or no increased earning potential. In fact, many of these predatory for-profit education institutions were not even worried about completion for the students, just recruiting and engaging them in debt.
At the Department of Education, we worked to expose the poor performance of for-profit colleges, identify illegal practices, and discharge the billions in debt to those we believed were taken advantage of, especially the first generation college victims and the veterans whose military benefits were being targeted by these institutions. Our borrower defense work helped prevent taxpayer dollars from going to these institutions in the form of PELL grants while also preventing hard-working Americans from having their income go to predatory schools that provide little value. While not all for-profit institutions followed this playbook, our efforts to stop the bad actors saved students, and our country, money. Many of them shut down during my time at the Department of Ed. I worry that closing the Department will open the gates to allow irresponsible for-profit schools to appear, not only in higher education, but also in the K-12 space as well.
Imagine if for-profit K-12 schools popped up across the country where, by design, the primary focus was making money. Imagine if these for-profit schools saw students as a potential to bring in federal or state dollars. Would it be a good business plan to admit students that cost more to educate? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
What we are seeing in numerous states already is the use of public school dollars going toward for-profit K-12 schools. In my visits to states, I have already heard from superintendents that the students furthest from opportunity and academic success are less desirable for these schools because it is harder to make a profit. If this continues, we will have increased gaps between our public and private schools and this will cost our country more to remediate, than it would be to prevent such gaps in the first place. Removing the Department of Education eliminates the regulatory and oversight capability to ensure a quality public education for all.
Indeed, one of the most clear reasons why public education makes economic sense is because it helps us establish a future workforce that is able to compete in the AI, cybersecurity, and clean energy races necessary for us to maintain global competitiveness. And public education also allows us to avoid needing to import talented workers from other countries.
As the son of Puerto Ricans who came to the mainland looking for opportunities for their children, I had only what the local neighborhood public school provided. Despite being in an economically disadvantaged community and attending schools with the greatest levels of need, my public school experience allowed me to gain the skills and confidence needed to go on to advise the President of the United States. My story should not be special or unique. There are millions of students with untapped potential that need their public school in order for their God-given gifts to be realized.
With approximately 50 million students across the country, it will be the success of our public schools that determines if our country can reach its potential in the development of college and career pathways that are needed in the next decade. For instance, there has been a renewed focus on manufacturing, building, and creating here in America from both sides of the aisle. We must look at our public schools as the foundation of our “Made in America” efforts. Whether it’s advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, microchip development, advancing research on artificial intelligence, or finding scientific cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, or the potential next pandemic, a strong public education sector will serve as the foundation on which our country will grow–or not grow. A crumbling foundation cannot hold skyscrapers—or factories. Dismantling the Department of Education will make it more likely that public school funding and equity of access will not be consistent across the country. Like my experience, it takes a great public school to bring out the best in our students, and country.
While as former State Commissioner of Education in Connecticut, I value states’ rights and independence in terms of educational responsibility, weakening the federal role would make it less likely that states can learn from one another and advance our country against competing countries like China. Without a federal education department, it will become increasingly common for states to try to solve issues without learning from other states that are spending resources trying to solve the same issues. Not only is this incongruity an inefficient use of research resources, it can become an issue of national security on two fronts. One, a weak foundation will not prepare tomorrow’s inventors, engineers, and scientists. Nor will it provide the skilled workforce that will ensure a robust economy that is less dependent on other countries for goods. Two, we will need to rely on talent from other countries to come here and solve our problems. We cannot be the greatest country if our success depends on talent from other countries as opposed to developing our own talent pipelines—together.
When I served as Commissioner, the average cost of educating a student in Connecticut was approximately $13,000. However, the cost of incarcerating an individual was $50,000. If that does not make the case for the “economic sense” of public education, nothing else will. And as a former school principal and district leader, I understand how not investing in early childhood education which provides students with a strong learning foundation ends up costing more money in reading interventions later.
Indeed, we can either pay to support our young people now or pay more to address bigger issues later. An investment in education helps ensure that our students of today will be productive and contributing members of society tomorrow. A good public education opened doors for me, an English learner from an economically disadvantaged classification to receive multiple degrees, serve in government, and contribute to the economy by paying taxes. Investing in education, and our students, ensures economic viability for our communities, states, and country.
What excites me most about the next era of education is that we are at the doorstep of a transformation that includes college and career planning. Recognizing that many high skill and high paying careers are needed in the next decade, our public schools are ripe to become the fertile ground on which the seeds of innovation will grow. Are we going to meet this moment, or revert to a for-profit scenario where a few millionaires will reap the benefits and the public good is whittled down to protecting the status quo? If the latter happens, our students lose, and our country loses.
Ensuring a strong public education makes economic sense. It levels the playing field so that a student in rural Kentucky has the potential to reach her God-given talents, or that a student with disabilities from Florida doesn’t fall through the cracks. Public education provides access, equity, and affordability—and it must remain a public good. The difficult truth is that dismantling public education would hurt our students in red states even more than blue states. Our 9 million students in rural communities stand to lose more since they rely solely on their neighborhood schools and don’t have as many options. They deserve an education that prepares them for whatever their dreams are. Imagine the lost potential of this country if we take that away.
We are at a fork in the road. Will we protect public education or will we let it fall victim to crony capitalism? Will it continue to be the great equalizer that allowed countless ordinary Americans to do extraordinary things for the world, or will it be the holding place for the have-nots in an increasingly polarized country?
I never bet against public schools and the educators who preserve its intention. And for those who lament that public education is too expensive, I ask them to think about what it would cost us if we didn’t have it.
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