In dire fiscal times like these, with the utter failure of Tuesday's budget propositions, must all school improvement grind to a halt until California finds more revenue?

Since the 19th century, we've been told that money alone will improve school outcomes and that to reform schools, all we need is...

These are dreadful times for public schools, and even with President Barack Obama's economic-stimulus plan, it's hard to see where the silver lining might be. Schools have become dominated by the money myth: Inadequate outcomes can be explained by inadequate revenues, and any educational problem requires increased spending. Few people...