And there's broad acknowledgement that although the TAAS has been a useful benchmark, schools need to work on advanced skills and college prep. Californians, on the other hand, can't seem to stop arguing about how to fix their schools. The state only last year launched a system that links real consequences to school achievement scores, after scrapping a previous test in the early 1990s amid political controversy. The Golden State has also been on the front lines of a national battle over how to teach basic skills like reading. Low spending, tracing back to a 1978 property-tax cut, has also contributed to California's woes, says study author Grissmer.
Money is no panacea, of course.
Grissmer's report also finds big score gains over time that can't be explained by spending. Funding shortfalls have certainly caused headaches at Jefferson. Kids have physical education only once a week, and an outdated electrical system means that a fuse blows if more than six computers are turned on in one classroom. Pumped-up spending now heads a long list of reforms underway in California, including lower class sizes, the new testing system, which showed promising score increases in July, and financial incentives to attract teachers. We're not going to get out of it immediately.