"I would be pleased with a two-to-one ratio, " said Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, professor of child development at Teachers College at Columbia University in New York.

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Changes in teaching methods or technology "have had very little influence, " says Henry Levin, an economist and expert on learning at Teachers College, Columbia University.

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In 1982, Byrd, who also had a law degree, received his doctorate from New York's Teachers College, Columbia University, and turned his attention from performing to education.

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Mr. Rebell, now executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, agreed that the answer may not lie in setting a dollar amount.

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"They can keep switching tests from now until doomsday and it's not going to make a difference, " said James Borland, a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University.

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"Test preparation really does help, and wealthier families are able to provide that for their kids whereas poor ones aren't, " said James Borland, an education professor at Teachers College at Columbia University.

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And with all the Baby Boomer spawn coming on the college scene, the average age of enrollment is dropping, says Thomas Bailey, professor of education and economics at Teachers College at Columbia University.

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"The movement toward kindergarten readiness assessment has been a little bit of a challenge for the field over time, in that people are very concerned that it's going to reek of the kinds of assessments that are injurious to very, very young children, " said Sharon Lynn Kagan, a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University who specializes in policies and standards for young children.

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