DESPITE MILLIONS, MISSOURI SCHOOLS ONLY GET A C

A new assessment of the nation's public schools places Missouri smack dab in the middle of the 38 participating states.

Ouch.

For all the hullabaloo over school reform in recent years, Missouri hasn't made any real educational improvement. And that lack of progress has come with a steep price tag: millions upon millions of additional dollars in recent years have been funneled into public schools through the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993.

This most recent survey was conducted by Pew Charitable Trusts and Education Week magazine. Ironically, Missouri scored highest for its set of academic standards, ranking slightly above the national average in standards. But with outcome-based education on the horizon, that will probably fall by the wayside as well. With OBE, standards are replaced by more subjective measures.

In Missouri, only 31 percent of fourth and eighth grade students tested at targeted proficiency levels. For math and science, the results were even more disappointing: Only one in five achieved targeted test results.

In quality of training and classroom performance, Missouri teachers earned a passable grade: C. That was an average score for most of the states, which points to another problem. This report suggests that teachers need to become more involved in the decision-making at the local level as a way to spur involvement and enthusiasm.

As to school climate, Missouri slipped to a C-, reflecting some of the violence and crime infiltrating public schools. The state also earned a C grade in adequacy, which measures student-teacher ratios, classroom size and amount of total spending to academic excellence.

But Missouri has learned the hard way that money alone will not fix public schools.

The report made note of the strong movement to inject competition into public education through so-called consumer choice. This certainly would be one avenue that education should embrace to get back on the road to excellence. If not, more and more students are going to be lost to private schools that can guarantee results.

It's been nearly 15 years since "A Nation at Risk" report rocked America's educational system. It warned of a rising tide of mediocrity in America's schools.

But billions of dollars and stacks of reforms later, America's schools remain second-rate when compared to scores of students in other industrialized nations. When it comes to public education, the nation remains at risk.