Make funding competitive for all schools

By Judy H. Hintz

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It was very disappointing to observe the recent Iowa Education Summit. The educational bureaucracy reacted to “reform” with dollar signs in their eyes and a rehashing of funding for preschool education. In other words, maintaining the status quo.

Past attempts to raise the educational standards - Head Start, No Child Left Behind, English as a Second Language and Special Education - have been miserable failures. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates spent $5 billion in educational reforms all over the United States. He admits to little improvement in these undertakings.

The Iowa Report Card recently revealed Iowa has finally returned to a No. 1 position - and it is not what you think! Our state ranked No. 1 with the largest discrepancy between the performance of special education students and the population of non-special education. What a travesty for the nearly 14 percent of Iowa children. Unfortunately, this highly funded program has done nothing but ruin the lives of the last generation of Iowa students.

It is time to choose true, effective and speedy educational recovery - not more money, summits, teacher training, teacher collaborations, preschool or even crossing your fingers and hoping.

Iowa needs to step into a system of consumer-driven education that results in public funding of private school, charter schools, learning centers, online teaching and home schooling. It is time for us to intensively pursue state tax money going to the parents of the students. This will in turn encourage more competition among all schools. Hopefully, when public education officials realize they must compete for dollars, they will soon delete everything destructive about current educational practices.

What can private education deliver?

Educational Resource Associates is a facility most often funded by parent/private tuition. In the past 31 years, my staff and I have served more than 30,000 students from ages 2 to adult. The total cost of these services is more than $20 million, far less than public education.

While it would be difficult to calculate grade-level improvement cost, I can cite some examples. We frequently serve students (often special education) who are five to six years behind in reading, math and written language. I have developed a remedial system in which students receive two to three hours of daily one-on-one instruction, plus homework programmed to reinforce daily teaching. These students average two to three years above grade level when they complete two 5 1/2-week intensive training sessions.

Total cost for this one-time placement ranges from $6,000 to $9,000. Compare this to the yearly costs of special education students, whose education gaps increase year after year.

College and adult students are increasingly a large part of our clientele. They can achieve reading gains of three to six years grade-level improvement in just 27 to 54 hours of instruction.

Admittedly, there are many diagnostic and teaching strategies specific to my clinic, but my point is: It can be done.

What is our secret?

We must be competitive with public education and all other services. All aspects of our programs must be efficient, purposeful and results oriented, and for the least amount of money.

Linda Fandel, assistant to Gov. Terry Branstad on education, summarized the recent education summit by saying that reform in Iowa will take 10 years. It can't! We are in danger of losing another generation of students.

Competitive education, allowing parents to spend their tax dollars as they see fit, is the fastest and most effective way to restore academics to our young Iowa residents.

Judy H. Hintz, who has a master's degree in education from Drake University, is director/owner of Educational Resource Associates in West Des Moines. Comments: iaeducationalresource@msn.com