A report by a national group counters the notion Iowans can improve education by spending more money on students. The report by the American Legislative Exchange Council examined standardized test scores to rank the educational systems in each state. John Berry, who wrote the report, says Iowa ranked third despite a low ranking for money spent per student.Iowa is not near the top in dollars spent per student, leading to the conclusion that spending more dollars on education will not increase achievement. Berry says instead of spending more money on education, state and federal officials should give more power to local schools, by letting principals and teachers decided the curriculum.He says Iowans should be wary of those who want to improve education by throwing more money at the problem.Berry says charter schools are one way to increase local control over schools.Minnesota and Montana ranked first and second in the report. Berry says Minnesota also ranks low for the amount of money spent per pupil on education. The American Legislative Exchange Council is an organization of state legislators, predominantly republicans.
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