> funding is seriously skewed toward athletics (though I think in most schools that's funded more by the parents' direct contributions).
(1) How are we measuring "seriously skewed"? Sure the football stadium may have just been remodelled, but how much did that cost relative to other things? (Note that a huge fraction of "school spending" doesn't make it to the school.)
(2) When someone pointed out that he (Babe Ruth) made more than the US president, Ruth replied "I know, but I had a better year than (President Herbert) Hoover."
My point is that the parents may be responding to better performance. I agree that education can be more valuable, but that doesn't imply that spending more is always a good idea. Good money after bad, ROI and all that.
(1) How are we measuring "seriously skewed"? Sure the football stadium may have just been remodelled, but how much did that cost relative to other things? (Note that a huge fraction of "school spending" doesn't make it to the school.)
(2) When someone pointed out that he (Babe Ruth) made more than the US president, Ruth replied "I know, but I had a better year than (President Herbert) Hoover."
My point is that the parents may be responding to better performance. I agree that education can be more valuable, but that doesn't imply that spending more is always a good idea. Good money after bad, ROI and all that.