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Findings
from The Costs and Benefits of an
Excellent Education for All of America's Children
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1) FTF was the only comprehensive secondary reform approach meeting the authors' evidentiary criteria as having impacted graduation rates;
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Education Week asks "Was it
really worth the expense?" Study of FTF answers YES!
The April, 9th issue of Education Week
turned the spotlight on the new Center
for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education at Teachers College, Columbia
University. Launched in 2007 and headed by
distinguished economists and education researchers Henry Levin and Clive
Belfield, the Center charges itself with conducting "economic research on the benefits and costs of
alternative educational policies and interventions." First Things First was among the first
interventions examined by CBCSE in the study The
Costs and Benefits of an Excellent Education for All of America's Children
and found to be a cost-effective educational intervention.
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2) for each 100 students participating in FTF schools an additional 16 students will graduate who would not have graduated otherwise;
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3) the incremental cost of each additional graduate is the lowest for FTF of any reform approach the authors surveyed;
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4) the incremental expenditures of public dollars on FTF would be recouped several times over because:
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a. high school graduates earn significantly more income and thus pay more in taxes than do high school dropouts;
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b. high school graduates use less than half as much public funding for their health-care needs as do high school dropouts; and
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c. high school graduates use significantly less public resources than do dropouts, due to their lower participation in criminal activities, lower rates of incarceration, and lower welfare use
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The
analyses by Levin and colleagues concluded that for each dollar spent on FTF,
the benefit to society is $3.54 (adjusted for inflation) - that's a 254% net
return on investment.
This table, taken directly from the
report, compares the "Net Public Investment Returns" of each intervention
included in the analysis.
Levin, H.,
Belfield, C., Muennig, P. and Rouse, C. (2006). The Costs and Benefits of an
Excellent Education for All of America's
Children. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
The full report is available online at:
http://www.cbcse.org/media/download_gallery/Leeds_Report_Final_Jan2007.pdf
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