The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, based in France, has released a report comparing educational spending and performance among various nations. Turns out the U.S. spends more than anyone. The A.P. notes:
But American 15-year-olds scored in the middle of the pack in math, reading and science in 2000, and the nation's high school graduation rate was below the world average in 2001.
Our educational system performance lags anyway. Here's the oh-so-predictable response:
Education Secretary Rod Paige said the results confirm that schools here have grown complacent and that a new law tying federal spending to school performance will help.
"I don't think we've come to grips with the urgency of this situation," he said.
Other education advocates said international spending comparisons can be misleading and contend that the federal government is shortchanging schools just as academic expectations soar.
More laws, a new federal program and more money! Why didn't I think of that? Of course it will work!
Here are the numbers:
The United States spent $10,240 per student from elementary school through college in 2000, according to the report. Average spending among more than 25 nations was $6,361. Turkey, Mexico, the Slovak Republic and Poland spent less than $3,000.
This makes no sense to me. As I noted here a couple of months ago, Denver school district spends about $7,180 per student annually. That's highest of any district in the state, but many cities in the U.S. spend more. So it looks to me like our spending is more like $70,000 to $80,000 per student from elementary school through college. Did the report mean $10,240 per year? If that's the case we're really getting ripped off.