Every child deserves a great public school, and no one should spend 20 years repaying a degree. The United States ranks 25th in math among developed nations, teachers earn $21,000 less than other college graduates, and 45 million Americans carry $1.77 trillion in student debt. Here's how to fix all of it.
We're a policy platform with 50 researched positions on every major issue. This page breaks down our education plan — but there's much more to explore.
The United States spends more per student than nearly every other developed nation yet produces mediocre outcomes. American 15-year- olds rank 25th in math and 24th in science among OECD countries. The problem is not funding alone — it is where the money goes and who the system was designed to serve.
America's education crisis has three structural roots. First, unequal funding: because public schools are primarily funded through local property taxes, the quality of a child's education is determined by the value of nearby real estate. Schools in wealthy suburbs spend $25,000 or more per student. Schools in low-income neighborhoods spend half that. No other developed country tolerates this level of inequality in its public schools. The housing crisis and the education crisis are the same crisis — if your family can't afford to live in a good school district, your children don't get a good school.
Second, the teacher shortage. The average starting salary for a public school teacher in America is $42,000. The national average starting salary for all college graduates is $63,000. That $21,000 gap is the single most important number in American education, because it means the profession systematically repels talent. There are currently over 300,000 unfilled teaching positions nationwide. In Finland and South Korea, teaching is among the most competitive and respected professions, drawing candidates from the top third of university graduates. In America, it is among the lowest-paid professions requiring a four-year degree.
Third, the absence of viable non-college pathways. The American education system funnels nearly every student toward a four-year university degree, regardless of aptitude, interest, or economic reality. Students who don't attend college are offered almost nothing — no structured apprenticeship, no vocational training, no clear path to a skilled career. In Germany, 60% of young people enter the workforce through apprenticeships that lead directly to middle-class careers in manufacturing, healthcare, IT, and skilled trades. In America, those students are told they failed. The system didn't fail them — it never offered them an alternative.
Sources: OECD PISA Rankings, National Education Association, Bureau of Labor Statistics. See the full education issue page for complete sourcing.
The average American borrower carries $37,574 in student loan debt. Total outstanding student debt has reached $1.77 trillion — more than all credit card debt ($1.1 trillion) in the country. This happened because states defunded public universities while the federal government made lending easy and accountability nonexistent.
Between 1980 and 2020, state funding for public universities fell by an average of 30% per student in real terms. Universities responded by raising tuition — which rose 1,200% over the same period, roughly four times the rate of inflation. The federal government filled the gap not with grants but with loans, creating a system where 18-year-olds routinely borrow $50,000-$100,000 for degrees that may or may not lead to careers that can service that debt. For-profit colleges — which account for roughly 10% of students but 50% of student loan defaults — were allowed to operate with almost no oversight while collecting billions in federal loan dollars.
The consequences extend far beyond individual borrowers. Student debt delays homeownership by an average of seven years. It suppresses small business formation — you can't take the risk of starting a company when you owe $800 a month in loan payments. It delays marriage, delays childbearing, and contributes to the affordability crisis that defines an entire generation's economic experience. Student debt is not just an education problem. It is a labor market problem, a housing problem, and a macroeconomic drag on growth.
The countries that outperform the United States in education don't do it by burdening young people with decades of debt. Germany charges no tuition at public universities. Finland charges no tuition and provides a living stipend. Australia caps tuition and uses income-contingent repayment that never bankrupts a graduate. The American student debt system is not normal. It is an anomaly among wealthy democracies — and its costs are measured in millions of careers deferred, businesses never started, and homes never bought.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total outstanding student debt | $1.77 trillion |
| Average borrower balance | $37,574 |
| Total number of borrowers | 45 million |
| Tuition increase since 1980 | +1,200% |
| Homeownership delay | ~7 years |
| For-profit share of defaults | ~50% |
Sources: Federal Reserve, Department of Education, National Association of Realtors. See the full education issue page for detailed sourcing.
The Common Good education plan is built on five pillars: free community college, income-based university tuition, a German-style national apprenticeship system, a $70,000 minimum teacher salary, and universal Pre-K for every three- and four-year-old. Together, they create a system where every pathway — college, trade, or technical — leads to a middle-class life.
These are not aspirational slogans. Each provision is modeled on a system that already works in at least one peer country and is costed against the federal fiscal framework. The total cost is a fraction of what America currently wastes on an education system that produces mediocre outcomes and crushes young people with debt.
For the complete plan with legislative detail, cost projections, and sourcing, see the full education issue page and the taxation policy for the funding framework.
The United States spends more per student than nearly every developed country but consistently ranks in the bottom half on student outcomes. Countries that outperform America pay their teachers more, fund schools equitably, and offer robust non- college pathways. The data is unambiguous.
| Country | Spending/Student | PISA Math Rank | Avg. Teacher Pay | Student Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $16,268 | 25th | $42K starting | $37,574 avg. |
| Finland | $11,044 | Top 10 | $47K starting | $0 (free tuition) |
| Germany | $13,590 | Top 15 | $68K starting | $0 (free tuition) |
| South Korea | $12,535 | Top 5 | $55K starting | ~$8,000 avg. |
| Canada | $12,867 | Top 10 | $50K starting | ~$15,300 avg. |
The pattern is consistent across every measure. Countries that pay teachers competitively, fund schools equitably, and provide free or near-free post-secondary education produce better student outcomes than the United States — while spending less per student in total. The American system does not underperform because it lacks money. It underperforms because the money flows to the wrong places: administrative overhead, college athletics, executive salaries, and debt servicing instead of teacher pay, classroom resources, and student support.
For a detailed side-by-side comparison of party positions on education, see the Compare Parties page. For how education funding fits into the broader fiscal framework, see the budget page.
Education reform is stalled by a set of persistent myths — some promoted by for-profit education companies, some by politicians who benefit from the status quo, and some simply inherited from a time when a high school diploma alone could sustain a family. Here are the five most damaging myths and what the evidence shows.
Myth: "We just need to spend more money on schools."
Reality: The United States already spends more per student than all but three OECD countries. The problem is not total spending — it is how the money is distributed and where it goes. When a wealthy suburb spends $25,000 per student and a neighboring city spends $12,000, doubling the national average doesn't help the city. Equitable distribution of existing resources would close most of the achievement gap without a single additional dollar. The tax policy page explains how federal funding equalization works.
Myth: "Free college would devalue a degree."
Reality: Germany eliminated university tuition in 2014. German degrees have not lost value — in fact, Germany has the lowest youth unemployment rate in Europe. Finland has offered free university education for decades and consistently produces top-ranked graduates. The "devaluation" argument assumes education is valuable only because it is scarce — not because it produces knowledge, skills, and innovation. By that logic, public high school "devalued" the high school diploma. It didn't — it built the most productive workforce in history.
Myth: "Apprenticeships are for people who can't handle college."
Reality: In Germany and Switzerland, apprenticeships are competitive, prestigious, and lead to careers in banking, engineering, IT, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. German apprentices in some technical fields out-earn university graduates within five years. The stigma around apprenticeships is an American invention driven by decades of university marketing and cultural bias. The labor policy page details how apprenticeships connect to the broader workforce strategy.
Myth: "Higher teacher pay won't improve outcomes."
Reality: Every top-performing education system in the world pays teachers competitively with other professions. Finland recruits teachers from the top 10% of university graduates. South Korea and Singapore do the same. The correlation between teacher compensation and student outcomes is not debatable — it is the single most researched finding in education policy. Higher pay attracts stronger candidates, reduces turnover, and stabilizes the profession. The affordability page explains how this fits into the broader cost-of-living framework.
Myth: "Universal Pre-K is just daycare."
Reality: High-quality Pre-K is the single highest-return public investment in education. The Perry Preschool Study, the Abecedarian Project, and decades of subsequent research show that every $1 invested in Pre-K returns $7-10 through reduced special education costs, lower juvenile crime, higher graduation rates, and higher lifetime earnings. Universal Pre-K is also a childcare policy — it frees parents (especially mothers) to re-enter the workforce, generating additional economic returns that dwarf the program cost.
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The US ranks 25th in math, teachers are underpaid by $21,000, and 45 million Americans carry student debt. Every other wealthy country has done better. Read the full plan and see exactly how we fix it.
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