American Legislative Exchange Council - 2004 Report Card on American Education: A State-by-State Analysis

Excerpt: "Despite substantial increases in resources being spent on primary and secondary education over the past two decades - per pupil expenditures have increased by 53.5 percent (after adjusting for inflation), student performance has improved only slightly - 73 percent of American eighth graders are still performing below proficiency in math, according to the 2003 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test."

Heartland Institute - The Cost of Producing a Proficient Student

Excerpt: "The cost per proficient student provides a usefully compact index to track the efficiency of schools because it combines effectiveness with cost, both of which are important to taxpayers who want to know the value of what their tax monies buy. Furthermore, taxpayers ought to be able to compare one school, school district, or state with another ... and to ask legislators and educators for an explanation of the comparative standings."

Heartland Institute - America's Schools Losing Productivity Race

Excerpt: "Productivity--the ratio of inputs to outputs--is a way to measure the quality of a wide variety of programs and services. Recently, researchers have been applying the concept of productivity to public schools. They have revealed a system in crisis."