‘No Adult Left Behind’: Professor argues public school system creates ‘perverse incentives’ for adults, harming students

Could the main problem with public schools be that they cater to parents and teachers above the needs of students?

That’s the premise of a new book, No Adult Left Behind, by Vladimir Kogan, a professor at Ohio State University.

Kogan discussed his findings during a recent event with Charlie Wilson, a former National School Boards Association president and law professor emeritus at Ohio State, who defended the traditional public school system. 

Kogan’s supporting evidence included the disproportionate influence of nonparents in school board elections and how debates over wider cultural issues often detract from students’ academic progress. 

He cited several examples, including an eight-month battle over a California high school’s mascot that coincided with the rollout of an “iPad for every student” program. The rollout struggled, which led Kogan to question whether the superintendent had to devote too much time to the mascot issue instead of focusing on improving student learning. 

In 2020, Kogan said politics heavily influenced whether schools reopened after pandemic shutdowns. Early on, liberals and conservatives largely agreed on keeping schools closed, but after then-President Donald Trump called for reopening, a sharp partisan divide emerged. Adults, he said, were responding to politics – not evidence or children’s needs. 

Other hot-button cultural debates include disputes over LGBTQ materials in classrooms and whether to include a pro-life video depicting a developing fetus in school curricula. 

“When we bring schools into these battles on issues where there is legitimate disagreement, and we make schools the battleground for resolving disputes, we often do so at the expense of public education,” Kogan said. 

He added that the current public school system creates “perverse incentives” for adults – such as focusing on maintaining jobs rather than addressing students’ needs. Although most school boards are democratically elected, Kogan said that “does not always necessarily translate into good education,” since adult political power can become “the primary barrier to providing high-quality education.” 

Kogan proposed moving school board elections to even-numbered years, when congressional and presidential elections take place, to boost voter participation. Wilson opposed the idea, arguing it would “crowd out” local education issues and candidates. 

Wilson said most adults, not just parents, want strong schools and criticized school choice policies for “diverting scarce resources” from public schools. 

Kogan countered that research shows public schools improve when faced with competition from school choice options. He said if the education system were designed today, “no one would limit schooling based on where a student lives – or can afford to live.” 

“It’s crazy in many ways,” Kogan said. “I think it’s especially crazy among folks who criticize education reform and call those of us who are active in that world neoliberals, yet defend a system that” ties access to good schools to housing markets. “I think school choice has many virtues, including that it breaks the link between housing markets and school assignment.” 

Wilson claimed polarization in society will decrease when “our children all go to school together and not flee to their silos and echo chambers,” something which has born questionable fruit in recent decades, judging by parents’ enthusiasm for school choice.  

Kogan said tensions among adults will continue and are often to blame for the “perverse incentives” they face.