Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 21, 1994 TAG: 9409230047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: O{LEAD} RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
OU C Associated Press
Money doesn't matter most when it comes to educating children, a conservative interest group concluded Tuesday as it released a report card on American schools.
The American Legislative Exchange Council said the states where students perform best don't necessarily spend the most money on education.
``We must stop throwing money at the problem,'' Samuel A. Brunelli, the council's executive director, said at a news conference in Richmond.
Virginia Education Association President Rob Jones said the group did not consider that states where students perform best are dominated by small towns and have nondiverse populations. They include Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota.
``It's completely flawed,'' Jones said.
He also noted that the rankings of standardized test scores were incomplete because not all states use the same tests.
But council members and Jones agreed on three top ways to improve education - tougher curriculum, smaller schools and more parental involvement.
``These are things money cannot buy,'' Brunelli said.
In some states, education spending and student performance seemed not to match, while in others they didt.
For example, New Jersey ranked first in spending per pupil in 1993-94 and seventh in its graduation rate; Mississippi ranked 50th in spending per pupil and 46th in its graduation rate.
But Utah ranked last in spending per pupil and ninth in its graduation rate. The District of Columbia ranked second in spending per pupil and 49th in its graduation rate.
Virginia ranked about in the middle of the states in teacher salaries, spending per pupil and graduation rates.
by CNB