As covered on the (uneven) Patch and the WaPo, there has been a sort of ROI study done on the school systems.  It was done by the Center for American Progress.  I’m not an expert on them but they appear to be a “progressive” think-tank sort of operation who advocate for progressive causes.  In this case, they have done a study on educational investment – trying to measure what sort of “bang for our buck” that we get on our educational dollar. 

As with any study, you should try to understand the criteria used.  It’s very important.  I’ve waded through a lot of it and at first blush, the study looks legit.  The only piece I don’t know much about (and it is an important piece) is the “Leaders & Laggards” report.  It looks pretty well sourced though and overall the study fits in with the Statewide report card I’ve seen.

The results for our city don’t look so great.  The graph puts spending against performance and tells a sobering story.  I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this and even been accused of hiding (!) from it but the truth is, I’m busy just like everyone else and don’t have the time to write and post everything in the world.