A enormous investment has been made in education. The pupil-teacher has dropped from an average of 25.8 students to one in 1960 to 17.2 to one in 1991. And, teacher salaries have increased. Since 1960 there has been more than a 200 percent increase in expenditures for elementary and secondary education. Ironically, spending more on education has not proven to improve educational performance. The metric below shows the level of money spent on education and the corresponding level of educational achievement.

Despite drastically increased expenditures, SAT combined scores continue to plummet. Moreover, states that scored highest in SAT scores, rated in the lower half of the nation in educational expenditures. Furthermore, the states that rated lowest in SAT scores, rated in the highest 10% in expenditures. Spending more money on education is clearly not the only answer to higher educational attainment.

Beyond Money

A study conducted by the California Department of Education begins to unveil the real problem. This study compared the complaints of its teachers in the 1940s with those through the '80s. In the '40s, the "major" offenses in California schools were (listed in order):

1) talking

2) chewing gum,

3) making noise,

4) running in the halls,

5) getting out of turn in line,

6) wearing improper clothes, and

7) not putting refuse in the wastebaskets.

In the 1980s the major offenses were:

1) drug abuse,

2) alcohol abuse,

3) pregnancy,

4) suicide,

5) rape,

6) robbery,

7) assault,

8) burglary,

9) arson,

10) bombings,

11) murder,

12) absenteeism,

13) vandalism,

14) extortion,

15) gang warfare,

16) abortion, and

17) venereal disease.