There is no more effective social investment than education. Concerned about crime? Young men with a middle class future dont throw it away by joining a gang. Worried about welfare dependency? Educate a poor child today and not only is that child lifted out of poverty, but so are his children and his childrens children. Worried about inequality and the Internet divide? Education is again the answer.
Yet despite these benefits, private charities donate relatively little to K-12 education.
Free government-schooling lulled charities into thinking that scholarships at the K-12 level were less urgent than at the university level. It has becoming increasingly clear, however, that government schools are the problem -- not the solution. U.S. students perform poorly compared to their peers in other nations and their performance declines the more time they spend in the public schools. Despite large increases in funding, tests results in reading and mathematics over the past thirty years have fallen or stagnated. Saddest of all, government schools fail those who need them most. The inner-city schools are not teaching the skills that are needed to compete in todays job market. Sometimes the students of these schools dont even learn to read. University scholarships cant help students who lack basic skills and they cant help the twenty-six percent of African-Americans who do not finish high school.
Fortunately, charities are beginning to recognize that to be effective, scholarships must come earlier. In 1998, Ted Forstmann and John Walton started the Childrens Scholarship Fund with a $100 million pledge. This Fund provides scholarships to low-income students to attend the private school of their choice.
In 1999, however, the Fund received over one million applications for its 40,000 scholarships. In New York, 29% of eligible students applied for a scholarship, in Washington, D.C. it was 33% and in Baltimore almost half of the eligible students asked for a chance to get out of the public system. The demand for private education is all the more amazing when one recognizes that by design the scholarships pay only about half of the tuition costs.
To help bridge the gap small, private, voucher programs have sprung up in cities throughout the U.S. Miamis Inner City Angels provides scholarships to 100 students, Denvers Educational Options for Children supports 57 and in Minneapolis the KidsFirst Scholarship Fund helps 84 students. Closer to home in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, donations from foundations and local firms like Clorox have provided the seed money for the Independent Institutes Independent Scholarship Fund. Last year, the fund awarded 107 scholarships to low-income students and this year expects to award more than two hundred (This years application deadline is April 28, contact Katherine Shearer at 510-632-1366 for an application or visit www.Independent.org.)
Together these groups are making a difference. Studies show that students at private schools perform better on math and reading tests, take more challenging, academic courses and are more likely to attend college than similar students attending public schools.
The children and their parents have spoken. Millions of them want out of the government schools and they are asking for our help. Charities and philanthropists interested in American society will find few causes with as much power to improve a childs life today and an adults life tomorrow than scholarships for K-12 education.
Hakuna uwekezaji wa kijamii wenye ufanisi zaidi kuliko elimu. Una wasiwasi kuhusu uhalifu? Vijana wenye wakati ujao wa tabaka la kati hawauangushi kwa kujiunga na genge. Una wasiwasi kuhusu kutegemea misaada ya kijamii? """Mfundishe mtoto maskini leo na sio tu mtoto huyo ataondolewa katika umaskini, lakini pia watoto wake na watoto wa watoto wake." Wasiwasi kuhusu ukosefu wa usawa na mgawanyiko wa mtandao? Elimu ni jibu tena. Hata hivyo, licha ya faida hizi, mashirika ya kibinafsi ya kutoa misaada hutoa kiasi kidogo kwa elimu ya K-12. Shule za bure za serikali zilifanya mashirika ya misaada yafikiri kwamba udhamini katika kiwango cha K-12 haukuwa wa haraka kama katika kiwango cha chuo kikuu. Hata hivyo, inakuwa wazi zaidi na zaidi kwamba shule za serikali ndizo tatizo - si suluhisho. Wanafunzi wa Marekani wanafanya vibaya ikilinganishwa na wenzao katika mataifa mengine na utendaji wao hupungua wakati zaidi wanaotumia katika shule za umma. Licha ya ongezeko kubwa la fedha, matokeo ya mitihani katika kusoma na hisabati katika miaka thelathini iliyopita yamepungua au yamesimama. Jambo lenye kuhuzunisha zaidi ni kwamba shule za serikali hazifanyi kazi kwa wale wanaozihitaji zaidi. Shule za ndani ya jiji hazifundishi ujuzi unaohitajika kushindana katika soko la kazi la leo. Nyakati nyingine wanafunzi wa shule hizo hata hawajifunzi kusoma. "Shirika hilo linasema: ""Shirika la chuo kikuu haliwezi kuwasaidia wanafunzi ambao hawana ujuzi wa msingi na haiwezi kuwasaidia asilimia 26 ya Waafrika-Wamarekani ambao hawajamaliza shule ya sekondari.""" Kwa bahati nzuri, mashirika ya kutoa misaada yanaanza kutambua kwamba ili kuwa na matokeo, udhamini lazima uje mapema. Mwaka 1998, Ted Forstmann na John Walton walianzisha Shirika la Scholarship la Watoto na kutoa mchango wa dola milioni 100. Mfuko huu hutoa udhamini kwa wanafunzi wenye mapato ya chini kuhudhuria shule ya kibinafsi ya uchaguzi wao. Mwaka 1999, shirika hilo lilipata maombi zaidi ya milioni moja ya kupewa udhamini wa masomo. Katika New York, asilimia 29 ya wanafunzi waliostahili waliomba ruzuku, katika Washington, D.C. asilimia 33 na katika Baltimore karibu nusu ya wanafunzi waliostahili waliomba nafasi ya kutoka katika mfumo wa umma. Mahitaji ya elimu ya kibinafsi ni ya kushangaza zaidi wakati mtu anatambua kwamba kwa muundo wa udhamini hulipa tu karibu nusu ya gharama za masomo. "Mimi ni mwanafunzi wa kwanza katika shule ya sekondari ya Miami, na mimi ni mwanafunzi wa kwanza katika shule ya sekondari ya Minneapolis, na mimi ni mwanafunzi wa kwanza katika shule ya sekondari ya Minneapolis, na mimi ni mwanafunzi wa kwanza katika shule ya sekondari ya Minneapolis.""" Katika wilaya za Alameda na Contra Costa, michango kutoka kwa misingi na makampuni ya ndani kama vile Clorox imetoa pesa za mbegu kwa Mfuko wa Scholarship wa Taasisi Huru. Mwaka jana, shirika hilo lilitoa ruzuku ya masomo 107 kwa wanafunzi wenye mapato ya chini na mwaka huu linatarajia kutoa zaidi ya mia mbili (mwisho wa maombi ya mwaka huu ni Aprili 28, wasiliana na Katherine Shearer kwenye 510-632-1366 kwa maombi au tembelea www.independent.org). Pamoja vikundi hivi vinafanya tofauti. Utafiti unaonyesha kuwa wanafunzi katika shule za kibinafsi hufanya vizuri zaidi katika vipimo vya hisabati na kusoma, kuchukua kozi ngumu zaidi za kitaaluma, na wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kuhudhuria chuo kikuu kuliko wanafunzi kama hao wanaohudhuria shule za umma. Watoto na wazazi wao wamesema. Mamilioni ya watoto hao wanataka kutoka katika shule za serikali na wanaomba msaada wetu. "Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu na wafadhili wanaopendezwa na jamii ya Marekani watapata sababu chache na nguvu nyingi za kuboresha maisha ya watoto leo na maisha ya watu wazima kesho kuliko udhamini kwa elimu ya K-12."""