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The economic crisis and education

What will a deep economic recession do to education? Of course, we do not yet know the depth and the length of the recession. In 2001-2003 recession, states experienced huge shortfalls in their revenues. K-12 Education is the largest spending category in almost every state, however most states chose to reduce higher education spending and other programs. Only a couple actually cut their K-12 spending. The K-12 world was largely protected from the last financial crisis. I am not so sure it is good for education. I am not advocating budget cuts for K-12, but the system needs a jolt, otherwise nothing will ever change. We treat education and something exceptional, as an area immune from the demands of efficiency, innovation, and modernization. Of course, it is for the good of the children! But something has to break that attitude. Few things work better on changing minds than a deep recession.

 

A really deep fiscal crisis may force us to reconsider the unshakable assumptions about education. For example, do we need to keep all the kids in school every day, at the huge public expense, or can they learn some of the stuff on their own, or with parents’ help? Are we paying for learning curriculum that really is needed?  Necessity is the mother of innovation and best ideas come out of the time of crisis.