International and U.S. state trends in student performance

Education researchers Eric A. Hanushek, Paul E. Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann released a new report, “Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance.”

In comparisons of test score growth over time, Hanushek et al found that the United States average was nearly identical to the international average.  Between 1995 and 2009, 24 countries had faster rates of growth on math, reading, and science assessments and 24 countries had slower rates of growth.

Of the 41 states were included in the study, Maryland, Florida, Delaware, Massachusetts, Louisiana, South Carolina, New Jersey, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Virginia had the strongest growth.  North Carolina’s annual growth rate was 12th highest.  In fact, the South fared well.  Nine of the top-20 states were in the South.

Despite test score growth, most U.S. states continue to trail top performing nations when one compares national and international assessments of student performance.  The authors point out,

Had all students throughout the country made the same average gains as those in the four leading states [Maryland, Florida, Delaware, and Massachusetts], the United States would have been making progress roughly comparable to the rate of improvement in Germany and the United Kingdom, bringing the United States reasonably close to the top-performing countries in the world.

Why did certain states outpace their peers?  The researchers test two hypotheses – the “catch-up theory” and spending increases.  States may have had larger rates of growth because they were playing “catch-up” with higher performing states.  While there is some evidence to back this theory, the effect is limited.

Furthermore, there was a small but insignificant relationship between educational expenditures and test score growth.  According to the report,

It is true that spending and achievement gains have a slight positive relationship, but the 0.12 correlation between new expenditure and test-score gain is of no statistical or substantive significance. On average, an additional $1,000 in per-pupil spending is associated with a trivial annual gain in achievement of one-tenth of 1 percent of a standard deviation.

The authors speculate that scores rose in concert with adoption of large-scale school reforms.  They admit that there is no empirical evidence to back this theory.