Counterpoint
In "Giving our public schools their due" (Dec. 9), Dane Smith quoted me as saying that "money does matter" in a speech I gave a few years back to his organization, Growth & Justice. Here is the context to what I said:
As our elected officials decide how much to spend and where to spend it, they often do not consider the cost vs. the benefit. Many times, they continue to support policies and programs that have shown little benefit in spite of huge investments. All programs should be reviewed for improvement or elimination if they are not delivering a benefit to our students.
Smith's commentary stated that it has become costlier to educate a changing student population, with more poverty and more immigrant pupils. That is why it is even more important to fund programs that will give us the biggest bang for the buck.
Two programs are doing just that. They were created and are being sustained with bipartisan support.
The first is the Minnesota Reading Corps. Established 10 years ago, this reading intervention program serves children age 3 through grade three who are at risk of falling behind. Year after year, independent evaluation is showing that children in the Minnesota Reading Corps outperform demographic peers who do not receive these services.
The Minnesota Reading Corps was the only program that received additional funding during the last biennial budget. In a $14 billion budget, the funding is modest at $4 million a year, but the Legislature and governor saw that the benefit is huge.
The second program, established about five years ago, is the Minnesota Principals Academy. Research shows that teachers affect about 33 percent of student learning, and we have given much attention to the support of teachers. But research also shows that principals affect 25 percent of student learning, and very little attention has been given to the continuing professional support of our principals in the field.
