GEMS says US spends ineffectively on K12

The United States could become more efficient at delivering education — and might see better results — if it raised class sizes by 10 percent or cut teacher salaries by 5 percent, according to a study released today by GEMS Education Solutions, a global education consulting firm.
The report, “The Efficiency Index,” analyzes education spending in 30 nations and compares those budgets to results on the global PISA exam. It concludes that the U.S., which has historically posted poor to middling scores on PISA, is overpaying its teachers and could boost its test scores in part by allocating funding more efficiently.
Finland, by contrast, gets high marks as the most efficient country in the OECD when it comes to education spending. Other countries that come in for praise include Korea, Japan, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The report finds that teacher salaries and pupil-teacher ratio have the most impact  on PISA scores. Other factors, including teacher training and instructional materials, did not have a statistically significant effect on PISA scores.