The K-12 education system in many areas of the country is a disaster. Too many children can’t read, and too many children fail basic arithmetic. And now we learn that the majority of American children don’t know the basic history of the country or how the American political system works.

The United States wastes money on public education. There is no correlation between money spent and education outcomes. The U.S. also throws money away on programs such as preschool and Head Start. Any education and social gains are temporary and fade with time. A new National Bureau of Economic Research paper by scholars from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley, finds that "attending Head Start or preschool had no economically or statistically significant effect on child or adult outcomes."

The federal government spends about $ 60 billion a year on public K-12 education. Much of that money is wasted. Such spending should be slashed, especially federal money spent on education in inner cities.

The public school systems in New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C., as well as other public school systems, fail to educate children. About 50% of New York City children fail standard reading tests.

In Boston, a city once known for outstanding education outcomes, reading scores for public school children have fallen to levels last seen in 1992 . In Washington, D.C., only 21% of black high school students who took an advanced placement course passed. And in Chicago, a stunning data point: zero students at 55 public schools passed standard math or reading tests. A familiar issue abounds: we are wasting federal funds on failing public education systems in major U.S. cities with strong public school teachers unions.

By contrast, Catholic schools in the largest cities of the U.S. succeed in educating children. In both math and reading, children at Catholic schools outperform children in public schools. In Boston, Catholic schools outperform by every metric. In New York City, Catholic schools outperform both public schools and also charter schools.

Human capital matters for the well-being of a nation. The federal government should provide direct financial support to schools that educate students. The U.S. Supreme Court said in Carson v. Makin that Catholic schools are eligible for the financial support which is available to public schools. The justification for support is the quality of education, not religious theology.

On education, reinforce success. Deny financial support to failing schools and school systems.

James Rogan is a former U.S. foreign service officer who later worked in finance and law for 30 years. He writes  a daily note  on finance and the economy, politics, sociology, and criminal justice.