Test Scores Are Plummeting Despite California Spending Wildly on Education

I've recently been investing in some long-deferred maintenance at my home and it should be no surprise to anyone that I've sought to receive as much quality work done for as little money as possible. When people spend their own hard-earned money on such projects, they measure success by results, such as a sparkling new kitchen. They don't brag about how much they spent, but how much they got in return.

By contrast, state officials seem to delight in how much money they "invest" in different priorities, without worrying too...