FACT: Success in education is NOT about spending more money

”Countries need to invest in education if their citizens are to lead productive lives; but putting more money into education does not automatically result in better education. For countries that currently invest less than USD 50 000 per student between the ages of 6 and 15, PISA shows a strong relationship between spending per student and the quality of learning outcomes. However, for countries that spend above that level, and that includes most OECD countries, there is no relationship between spending per student and average student performance. Fifteen-year-old students in Hungary, which spends USD 47 000 per student between the ages of 6 and 15, perform at the same level as students in Luxembourg, which spends more than USD 187 000 per student, even after accounting for differences in purchasing power parities. In other words, despite spending four times as much as Hungary, Luxembourg does not gain any advantage. In short, success is not just about how much money is spent, but about how that money is spent.”

ANDREAS SCHLEICHER ‘WORLD CLASS How to build a 21st-century school system’