Today Opportunity Washington quotes a recent Seattle Times editorial:

Gov. Jay Inslee refers to education spending as an investment, but he and other state officials must demonstrate to taxpayers that the investments are made in a way that actually improves results.

Robin Lake, of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, makes the same point in a News Tribune op-ed. About the additional state funding for education that must be made pursuant to the McCleary decision, she writes,

How we use the money is important: If the new money isn’t used in ways that make a real difference for kids, it could be another generation before a similar opportunity comes around.

With few exceptions, students haven’t benefited much in states where courts have forced them to spend a lot more money. In New Jersey and New York, for example, it’s hard to see what billions in new spending have done to raise graduation rates or close achievement gaps. Too often, higher spending levels lead to a more expensive, but not a higher-performing, school system.

As Opportunity Washington writes,

However the Legislature addresses education, it’s vital that the focus remain on improved academic achievement without compromising the standards that assure students graduate from high school prepared to succeed in career and college.