Investing in Education is One of the Best Things a Country Can Do

The past two and a half years have been filled with unimaginable challenges for education, and while Congress has responded, the number of recent achievements and the continuing experience of the individual each involved shows that more needs to be done. In legislation passed from March 2020 to March 2021, Congress provided $280 billion for Department of Education programs, nearly four times the agency’s annual budget. The purpose of this pandemic aid is to cover many new prospects – a short period of time for the purchase of personal protective equipment, hardware and software to provide virtual learning, improvements to make school facilities safer, emergency support for students , among other needs. . Federal Student Loan Rebates and Targeted Student Loan Rebates provide additional support for education. But these investments pale in comparison to the rest of the lost education that can affect not only students, but the economy for years to come.

As the crisis of the epidemic is immediately reduced, the challenge of teaching and learning continues and, in some cases, worsens. However, even as students have begun the new academic year, Congress is delaying a decision on government funding for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. This delay in adopting new education investments will only add to the challenges for students, teachers, school districts, colleges and education providers.

Many students, families, faculty and staff have suffered emotional and economic trauma, with some now living in dire circumstances. Many students missed a lot of time in school, and their results showed poor results. College enrollment has fallen more than 9% since the start of the pandemic, with many students taking new jobs and unable to afford higher education. The national teacher shortage that existed before the pandemic has increased, along with openings for teachers, principals, instructional support staff and other school staff in many states. Additional federal support can help alleviate these problems. Investing in education is one of the best things a country can do.

They reap immediate rewards in terms of student achievement and knowledge, and long-term in terms of increased economic returns, community involvement, and an educated population ready for the environment. global economy. Despite these facts, Congress faces competition for federal funding, and every year, federal funding for education falls short of what is needed. No one is against education, but there is a debate about the balance of investment in the federal government. In any given year, the federal government spends less than 2% of its budget on education.

This is largely because more than 90% of the funding for elementary and secondary schools comes from state and local budgets, not the federal budget – a very different distribution than in other developed countries. open. Polls show the public thinks the United States is spending too little money on education, and President Biden agrees; Last year, the administration’s proposal to “Make Back Better” included consistent investment in education for early learning and childcare, school buildings, training teachers, vocational and technical education and adult education, student and college assistance, free community colleges, support for higher education institutions and workforce development, among other areas. These plans were reduced to nothing and in the end, no one was accepted 카지노사이트. The president also called for a record investment in continuing education programs, and although Congress eventually approved a 3% increase for education, it was only one-tenth of what the president requested for 2022.

This year, Congress could change the tracking of emergency COVID relief spending and ongoing support across the education system. After the Great Recession, Congress provided about $110 billion in one-time emergency funding for education, but then allowed education funding to decline in subsequent years when many states cut their own education funding. In fact, federal funding for the Department of Education this year is more than $12 billion below 2011 levels in inflation-adjusted dollars. Undergraduate Student Technology Issues and Needs

This fall, Congress should avoid repeating the mistake of having a financial education mountain. Instead, it should invest in ways that address the impact of epidemics – interruptions in learning and loss of school time and physical and mental health problems, among others. It should also increase funding to meet needs that existed long before the pandemic – for early childhood education, special education, access to higher education and vocational education.