More Spending Does Not Produce Better Special Education Student Outcomes

From The Wall Street Journal Opinion, "More Isn't Better for Special Ed: A new study shows how school districts can get better results:"

Does more spending lead to better outcomes for students with disabilities? According to a new study led by former school superintendent Nathan Levenson and sponsored by the Thomas Fordham Institute, the answer is no. The news that quality and money aren't tightly linked should be welcome in cash-strapped school districts around the country.***The headline result? If districts with above-average special-ed staffing were staffed instead at the national median level, more than $10 billion annually would be saved. For example, a 10,000-student district now spending in the 90th percentile on special ed could save more than $7 million.***The authors are careful to note that this small sample does not prove a causal relationship between lower spending and higher achievement, but it certainly disproves that more money is always better.