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Here are the current education czars on government involvement in higher education:

Last month, the Department of Education proposed new “gainful employment” rules that would cut off federal student aid to for-profit institutions, such as DeVry and the University of Phoenix, if a certain percentage of their students default on loans or don’t earn enough after graduation to repay them.

“Some proprietary schools have profited and prospered, and this is a disservice to students and to taxpayers,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan in justifying the new rules. The politically operative words in that sentence are “profited and prospered,” not students and taxpayers.

Can someone then please help me understand why government high schools with 40% graduation rates get to spend $20,000 or more per student, and are continually showered with funding and sympathy? It probably helps to understand that public colleges are not the target of this villification – only the evil “for-profit” ones. If the President really wanted more people to get an education, does he really believe he should unleash the awesome efficiency and entrepreneurial vision of the organization that brought you the DMV and the Post Office, and that still allows them to remain in operation?

3 Responses to “Talk About Double Standards”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Why spend all that money for public schools? Because the Teacher’s union says so. Just ask the unions in NY state how that works.

  2. Harry says:

    You nailed that one, wintercow, by identifying the key operative words.

    I guess the nonprofits are scared of competition from anyone who might deliver their product more efficiently.

    By the way, how come Harvard is non-profit? Because their endowment has had difficulty with their investment ventures, or because Larry Summers is screwy?

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