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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement regarding the today's release of Education Week's "Quality Counts 2008" (Outside Source; PDF; 1,240KB; 13pp.) report:

"Once again, this report indicates that despite our highly regarded standards, California faces many challenges and must invest more and work harder to ensure all students are successful in achieving to those standards.

"The report shows that while California has the most challenging student population in the nation, per-pupil spending in our state is a full $1,892 below the national average when adjusted for regional cost of living. If California is to lead in the global economy, we simply must plan now for increased investments in our public school students.

"We spend $5,137 below New York, $5,171 below New Jersey. It is unacceptable that a mere 3 percent of California's students attend schools in districts where per-pupil expenditures are at or above the national average, compared with 37 percent in Louisiana, 16 percent in Florida, and a whopping 95 percent in Maryland.

"In California, where more than half of our students are classified as socioeconomically disadvantaged and nearly a quarter are English learners, a focus on closing the achievement gap will increase the achievement of students overall.

"Closing that gap starts with filling some of the gaps in our educational system. This includes the creation of a data system that will enable our educators and policymakers to make more informed decisions about instruction and to make more strategic use of resources. It also requires more effective alignment of our systems of education from pre-kindergarten through university so that students are prepared to succeed at each level."