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As shortcuts to elite universities, American schools work better than British ones | International

The Geffen Academy at UCLA for years touted its state-of-the-art makerspace. But behind closed doors, the program was rife with safety violations that endangered the academy’s teenage pupils, according to students, faculty and public records.

“The biggest problem plaguing U.S. public schools [is] a lack of resources.”  So claims Robert Pianta, dean of the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, in an op-ed published last week in The Washington Post. In fact, Pianta asserts, government spending on K-12 education actually has declined since the 1980s.  These claims are inaccurate, as federal government data prove.

I moved to Iowa in 2014 to work in the teacher education program at the University of Northern Iowa. I was excited to come to a state that was known for its long and celebrated history of public education. So, I have to admit that it has been quite the disappointment to see state leaders work to dismantle this legacy by introducing so-called “school choice” legislation and to do so in the name of “equity” and “school improvement.” According to Gov. Reynolds and Republicans in the state legislature, introducing “school choice” will lead to overall school...