OCPA in the Oklahoman: More spending won't boost school A-F report cards

December 27, 2012

Writing in The Oklahoman, OCPA vice president of policy Brandon Dutcher contends that, in at least one respect, the new Oklahoma school report cards are a gift to the education establishment: As long as concerned citizens are comparing Oklahoma school districts to each other, they aren't comparing them to school districts around the world.

The George W. Bush Presidential Center recently released the newest version of its “Global Report Card,” a data tool that allows users to compare a local school district's math and reading achievement with the achievement in other developed countries. The Atlantic featured the data tool on its website with an accompanying article, “How Does Your Child's School Rank Against the Rest of the World?”

Go to GlobalReportCard.org. You'll see that some of Oklahoma's best school districts — districts with admittedly impressive artificial turf — are not keeping pace internationally.

For example, if you picked up the Jenks school district and plopped it down in Finland, the average Jenks student would be at the 30th percentile in math achievement. In Singapore, the average Jenks student would be at the 27th percentile. Some districts that got an “A” on the Oklahoma report card — even some that got a perfect 4.0 — are mediocre by international standards.

The solution, Dutcher continues, is not increased spending. To read the full op-ed, please click here.