OK, even if could all agree on some uniform standard of basic reading and writing skill level by a certain age (still up for debate) should we say that that ability is valued at some dollar amount. Say, the acquisition of skills for an average 6th grader should be valued at $5,000; and then the aquisition of skills to enable graduation from a standard high-school education curriculum should be valued at $20,000?

And yet, that is the direction that we as a society (I am talking specifically about the United States) is moving towards.  I’m not saying we can’t or shouldn’t determine the cost to deliver education on a per-pupil basis or the most efficient and cost effective way to delivery high quality education.  It’s true, we need to pay for teachers, materials, equipment and school facilities.  But the value of a fully educated society does not diminish with ever increasing consumers. In fact, the more educated we are as individuals, the more value we add to general public welfare.  Education is truly a public good.  It benefits all of us in direct and indirect ways and we should not attempt to create a market that prices some of us out of it.

So if an educated society is invaluable to all of us, who should pay for it?   To be sure, there are private markets for education; New York City offers a plethora of examples of expensive private schools which charge parents upwards of $30,000 per year to educate their children.  And for those families whose preference affords them the ability to enter that private market of education, it is available.  But for the vast majority, education is provided through the public market, a market that benefits everyone, regardless of ability to pay and which functions to overcome the fact that our society values the positive externalities that result from educated children and citizens.

But when you work for yourself and you’re juggling multiple clients with various missions and needs, you realize that you can’t be all things to all people.  Moreover your perspective on what works, how to accomplish tasks, and the multiple skills and talents that are required becomes broader.  And, as I’ve witnessed in the past seven years since I began working for myself as a consultant, there are more and more skilled individuals who are deciding to become independent agents –selling their expertise and knowledge in the constantly fluctuating process known as contracting/consulting.  This means that individuals are influencing the labor market not just in terms of the multiplicity of their contributions to clients and projects (instead of working for 1 employee who benefits from your work over say, 3 years,  an independent contractor/consultant may benefit 3 or 4 or 6 clients, each with different missions and needs, in a 3-year period.  And, additionally, if  that contractor/consultant looks for other contractor/consultants to collaborate with, they can further multiply their individual impact.  For example, an independent web-designer who meets a free-lance copy writer can share ideas, resources, referrals for clients and even more introductions to more independent contractor-consultants.  Not only does their opportunity for project work grow, so does the opportunity for meaningful impact.  And there is a spillover effect: their own knowledge base grows. It can continue to grow exponentially- depending on one’s openness to the idea of collaborative consulting.

This is a strategic viewpoint.  If we look at all the potential opportunities out there just  by meeting other contractor/consultants with similar values and passion for helping our clients with what they need, it is indeed truly an exciting time.  Because even if I can’t provide it directly myself, I want to refer my clients to someone else who can,  and right now my guess is that our economy has never before had such a surplus of highly skilled individuals out there who are available and willing to sell their talents and expertise.

Part of my vision for The Public Good is to capitalize on this abundant supply of skilled and experienced individuals.  Because I see knowledge and skills as a semi-public good.  The definition of a public good is something that is “…not rival in consumption; the fact that one person benefits from this good does not prevent another person from doing the same simultaneously.” (Harvey S. Rosen, Public Finance. Third edition. p. 605)  Obviously, if I am performing work which benefits one client, I will not charge another client for that same time spent – because my billable time is rivalrous.  However, if I have the option of bringing in other resources to collaborate with on a project, and that collaboration leads to increased knowledge by both consultants as well as new introductions to the client, that is a value that cannot be limited or even priced.  It is close to a public good.  More knowledge, better insights, growing opportunities benefit all, consultants and clients included.

Access to information can have an equalizing effect. It can provide consumers an accessible, level playing field. Although too much information, or information that is overwhelming, disorganized, hard to interpret or just plain difficult to wade though, can be a real turn-off to the consumer looking to make informed decisions.  Which is why, I am so excited about a simple, easy to navigate website that provides timely, relevant data that is well organized, presented and accessible at absolutely no cost to the consumer.

Big Apple Ed , the 3rd place winner of NYC’s Big Apps competition, attempts to fill the information gap in a most user-friendly space. According to their site, “Now New York City residents have an easy way to find important information about your city’s schools. By providing one place to view testing data, contact information, suspension rates, and student/teacher ratios, Big Apple Ed hopes to increase transparency and help all New York City schools improve.”

Let’s just hope that the developers have figured out how to keep Big Apple Ed up and running with the latest data.  After all, someone has to manage the site and, since it’s value is entirely based on the accuracy and timeliness of its data, maintenance is key to its success.

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We look forward to learning about you too.