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Stephanie Strong
Meagan Keaton English 112 19 February 2013 Does Government Spending Support Student Success? All over the news today we hear about budget cuts being made at schools. We learn about schools that are losing programs due to decreased federal, state and local funding of schools. Or so we are told. Marguerite Roza, author of Educational Economics: Where do school funds go?, uncovered that the majority of funds appropriated to schools are being used on extracurricular activities rather than core classes (Roza, 1). Roza also discovered that more funding is actually going towards schools where children are exceeding rather than schools where the students are lagging behind (Roza, 1). This discredits the idea of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. I think this could also be a lack of attention on the need for new ideas in the educational system in the U.S. So, this leaves us pondering on whether or not government spending is fully supporting the success of students and their educational needs and values. The first photograph Ive chosen is completely black and white with the exception of the word industrialization. Industrialization is written in orange with the words and in the image of it written in black beneath it. The letters GDP (gross domestic product) are also written in all capital bubble letters at the very top of the image which seems to be a vocal point for the photo. The background is completely white and the pictures are outlined in black with simple shading in some areas. This image also contains several buildings. One building represents a school, one represents the art aspects of school and has the word Art written on it and one is meant to represent the workforce after school. The schools windows are colored in completely in black and there are two clocks on opposing sides of the building. There are several smoke stacks that are emitting heavy clouds of smoke that are hovering over the top of the

Strong 2 images. There is a large piggy bank to the right of the buildings which is tied down by its ankles and is intersecting with the word work. The pigs eyes are closed and its mouth is open. It is spitting coins onto a conveyor belt that is leading into the school. Two large contraptions that seem to be similar to the wheels inside a mechanical clock are on either side of the school. The fact that the photograph is completely black and white could be representative of the ideas for current and future plans for effectiveness at schools in the U.S. Issues involving schools and educational spending seem to be ongoing with a limited amount of solutions. None of the ideas seem to adhere consistently. Even the ideas of NCLB have been hard to maintain. Policy changing and government funding has been black and white for a prolonged amount of time. There are no shades of gray and no in between. It seems to be the way our government wants it. Schools and classes should appeal to industrialization above everything else. The black and white symbolizes just that. There are simply two options. One can either go to school and meet industry demands or be doomed to a life as a retail clerk or McDonalds employee. Schools do not seem to be putting money into the gray areas where arts, music and dance are concerned. The black and white could also representative of student success in relativity to standardized testing scores. A student either passes and is deemed successful or fails and is deemed incompetent although they may be extremely skilled in other areas or even if they were taught with a different method or style of teaching. The industrialization is in orange which is a bright, attention grabbing color which is meant to make it stand out from all the other objects and words in the photo. Industrialization seems to be the main idea or concept of the photo as to how all of the images and wording relate to each other. Schools, education and government spending are supposed to meet the needs of industrialization so that industry can in turn meet the needs of GDP or in other words, our countries economy as a whole. The words and the image of it written in black underneath industrialization is meant to be the opposing ideas in this photo. It raises the question of what industrialization is in reality as opposed to how we perceive it to be. It questions curriculum being taught and economical needs.

Strong 3 The last piece of wording on the paper is the letters GDP which stand for gross domestic product. Gross domestic product is the sum of all goods and services and how they are relatable to the overall success of the economy. GDP has been placed at the top of school because it is the meant to be the aim of schools today. We want to offer classes that are most likely to support students in becoming workers that are needed for industrialization which in turn is meant to boost the economy. Our educational system is also affected by the success or failure of the economy. With a healthy economy our school systems can receive more funding. Education, industrialization and GDP are all factors that directly affect one another. The windows being on the school may suggest that the students that shy away from the Arts have more of a window of opportunity to be successful in the workforce. They may also be meant to show that there is more clarity of the usefulness of core classes. In relation to the words in the image of it when referring to industrialization, it may mean that there are important aspects to the workforce that do not receive enough credibility. The smoke emitting from the buildings may be representative of the students that do not end up graduating school or do not continue on to college or even students that do go to college but are unable to get jobs. When I think of smoke I think of harmful pollutants with damaging effects. The cost per student at public schools is in the thousands ranging statewide. That is a lot of money up in smoke. The piggy bank represents state, local and federal expenditures on education. The fact that it is tied down, intersecting with the word work suggests that our workforce wont be able to provide sufficient funds for education if we do not put out students that appeal to industrialization. The final aspects of importance are the devices that seem to be he adjustable wheels that control time on mechanical clocks. These wheels must be in perfect working order to maintain the correct time. Metaphorically speaking, same goes for education in relation to economy.

Strong 4 This cartoon portrays logos. It is a logical, up front way of relating education to the economy of our country. It doesnt single out students individually but as a whole. I think that the cartoon supports the idea that government spending supports student success. The picture does incorporate the art building suggesting that funding is also going to extracurricular activities and not just core classes. It also supports the idea of student success meaning adolescents who are prepared for the workforce when they exit school. The piggy bank being tied down and intersecting the words industrialism and work shows that its a big cycle and both schooling and the workforce have a direct affect one another. Money is not limitless and if schools are not creating what the economy needs as far as jobs then education also suffers, not just the economy. In the second photograph I chose there are kids standing all around a large piggy bank that Uncle Sam is riding. In the photograph Uncle Sam is very big compared to the children. He is also wearing red, white and blue which signifies the U.S and our government. Uncle Sam is also the highest vocal point of this picture. I think that they made him large and on top to show how the government projects through every aspect of our countrys make up. The government shows power and commands respect and is in charge of the allocation of educational funding. Uncle Sams head is held very high in the air and he is not acknowledging the children below. I think this shows the lack of acknowledgment by the government for all the problems in our educational system. I also find that this gesture shows superiority without genuine concern for the children below. I find that this is also condescending and belittling. It is a way of showing not only that the government does not care but also that they do not feel our children are worthy of anything better than what they are already being offered. The piggy bank that Uncle Sam is sitting on top of is enormous. I think this shows that the government is greedy and sits on money that we could use for purposeful things such as education. Uncle Sam holding the reigns also signifies government control. I think that it could also be a symbol of resistance to want to allow additional funding to schools. The pig looks worried and concerned, a lot more

Strong 5 so than Uncle Sam. I believe that this is a prime example of the monetary issues in the U.S. We are facing huge debt, taxes and a higher cost of living than ever before. I think that the two children that have their arms raised like they are trying to climb onto the piggy bank with Uncle Sam but are denied access imply that the piggy bank cannot carry the heavy load. It is possible that it shows that we do not feel like we have the finances to put into our students anymore with such an increasing national debt The last and most significant aspect of this photograph is the children below. There is one child standing at the rear of the piggy bank with her back turned away from it and her arms crossed, two children in the middle of the pig with their arms raised, reaching towards Uncle Sam as if theyre trying to climb aboard and one child at the front staring at the pig almost with admiration. I think that this could be representational of social class in education and in schools. The girl in the back could be the child left behind and feeling defeated. Maybe she is attending the poverty stricken school which is why she is not facing the piggy bank. Her arms being crossed show a withheld manner rather than being open. The two children in the middle could represent middle class children who want more, and the child in the front could represent students that attend the wealthy Executive Elite schools. She seems to be the lost content. This could also explain why Uncle Sam has his hands on the reigns. It could signify that he wants to slow down funding for wealthier schools. I think this photograph uses ethos and pathos to persuade. Ethos is presented by using Uncle Sam in cartoon. Just about everyone knows what Uncle Sam stands for. He is a symbol of the U.S government which represents power and demands attention. The cartoon uses pathos a little I think by attempting to implement the students emotions. From looking at the children we get of sense of how they might be feeling. This cartoon has been used to persuade against the idea that government spending supports student success. There are different levels of achievement everywhere you go but this photo puts emphasis on the amount of funding equaling success. The children are the key in this determination. The child at the back of the piggy bank turned away with her head down low seems to be representative of the poverty stricken schools where children have proven to be less successful. Uncle Sam being on top of the

Strong 6 piggy bank also suggests that money equals success. Money holds our country together, keeps our economy going and is a symbol of power. This picture makes a great effort to show that there are children and schools that are suffering to gain success due to lack of government funding.

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Strong 8 Works Cited

Roza, Marguerite. "Education Next." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. <http://educationnext.org/howschools-spend-their-money/>.