There is a political element to all of this that can’t be ignored. Unless interpretation (and sometimes raw data) comes from a trusted, independent source, as data consumers, we must be careful what we accept.

There are many rival hypothesis for what is causing more money being spent per child. Perhaps money is spent on items other than math and reading improvement. Perhaps provision of infrastructure more expensive (building codes have changed, computers are provided, or who knows??). There is controversial arguments over the part special education and magnet schools play in the overall cost per child. I’m sure there are others.

This is why having a target measure is important. It provides important context.

What surprises me is that I did not see a discussion about the flat reading and math scores. That said, I didn’t read the whole document.