The Long-Term Returns on Investing in Educational Equity

• In Event: Building School Communities for Students Living in Deep Poverty: Strategies for Success

Abstract

This panelist is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on curriculum innovations that accelerate learning and the social and economic benefits of providing all students with high quality educational opportunities. His research has provided evidence that social investments in comprehensive school services, university-school partnerships, social and emotional learning, early childhood education, high school graduation and community college graduation have long term benefits for all of society and the taxpayer.

In this paper, he argues that educational equity is a moral imperative for a society in which education is a crucial determinant of life chances. Yet there is a reluctance by some authorities to invest in our most needy populations and even a skepticism on whether money makes a difference in educational results for such students. The author argues that fairness in access to a good education is a matter of justice rather than simple economic rationality as measured by investment returns, but he also makes the case that a positive economic return on educational investments is one way to ensure strong public support that in turn will result in a stronger set of public policies.

He argues that inadequate education affects not only the poorly educated individual but also the society because of lost productivity, lower tax revenues, and higher costs of public services. Therefore, it is useful to consider not only the important issue of educational justice but the question of whether seeking such justice through greater educational investment in at-risk populations provides an overall economic payoff to the public that exceeds the costs. Evidence from many studies will be used to examine this policy and moral issue.

The essential question this panelist will address is: What are the measurable social and economic benefits to individuals and society for providing students living in deep poverty households a high-quality education?

Author

• Henry M. Levin, Teachers College, Columbia University