Doing less with more?

According to the U.S. Census, Oklahoma spent $7,896 per student in 2010, compared to $10,615 nationally. Predictably, that has fueled calls for increased education spending, although proponents notably don’t say how the extra money should be used. That’s a pretty important detail. Utah($6,064) andIdaho ($7,106) both spend substantially less per-pupil than Oklahoma. Yet the average ACT score inIdahowas 21.7 in 2011.Utah students averaged 21.8. In Oklahoma: only 20.7.  ACT found only 35 percent of Oklahoma students were prepared for College Algebra, compared to 47 percent in both Utah and Idaho. ACT participation rates are high in all three states. Student poverty likely explains part of the discrepancy. Still, compared to Utah and Idaho, Oklahoma is actually doing less with more. As policymakers ponder school funding requests, they should ask, “What are Utah and Idaho doing that we aren’t?”

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