Education

It can narrow the gap & improve children's lives.

I don't think very many people are calling for indiscriminately spending 'more'.

In chicago, what i read is:

1) for whatever reason, some of the money that *is* being spent isn't reaching low-income classrooms (no air-conditioning, books, paper, libraries, music/art classes v. selective enrollment schools which have these things)

2) money is being spent stupidly (more bucks for the head office while teachers are cut, more $ to consultants, testing companies, private education management companies, & other overhead)

Teachers in chicago are asking for spending on:

1) smaller classrooms
2) decent/reliable equipment/supplies/conditions
3) wider curriculum (art/music/libraries etc)
4) social support personnel (nurses/counselors etc)

and an end to spending directed at destabilizing schools.

the relationship between class & educational achievement holds across time & across cultures. however, it's also clear that when well-targeted money is put into closing that gap, it has results (as the us did post ww2 -- the biggest leap in educational achievement in our history -- coincidental with a rise in jobs and wages).