Spend more money!: Obviously that's not the solution to education problems in America.

The United States spends more public and private money on education than other major countries, but its performance doesn't measure up in areas ranging from high-school graduation rates to test scores in math, reading and science, a new report shows.

"There are countries which don't get the bang for the bucks, and the U.S. is one of them," said Barry McGaw, education director for the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which produced the annual review of industrialized nations.

More money and smaller classrooms is what the pundits and the DOE always say. Wrong! Teachers who are qualified, administrators who are held accountable, parents who are encouraged to get involved, and students who are forced to shut up and sit down are the answers, or at least a start. But some still don't get it.

Federal education spending has grown by $11 billion since President Bush took office, Paige said, but that includes spending beyond the first 12 grades. Even increased money for elementary and secondary education doesn't cover the law's sweeping expenses, said David Shreve of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"You can't just mandate that things happen and then not follow up with the resources to make it happen," said Shreve, senior director for the conference's education committee.

And, Mr. Shreve, you can't just appropriate $11 billion and expect to get nothing in return. And yet that's what we've done, decade after decade. It's time to try something else.