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• If Montana were a nation, its eighth-graders would be among the world's top-performers in the fields of science and math, according to a study comparing state-by-state assessments with results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Montana students would have outperformed students in 40 of 41 countries in science, and 35 of 41 countries in math.

• On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Montana students regularly outperform their peers nationwide. Montana eighth-graders' scores were the second-highest in the nation in both math and science in 1996 and second in reading in 1998.

• The nearly 60 percent of Montana high school students who take the American College Testing (ACT) readiness exam outscore their peers in 40 of the 50 states.

• Montana teacher salaries (averaging $31,356 in 1998-99) put the state in 47th place nationally for teacher compensation, according to the National Education Association. In a survey by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, teachers cite low salaries and rural isolation as two of the top three reasons why many districts struggle to fill openings.

• Per-pupil spending in Montana ($6,349 in 1998) puts the state in 21st place nationally, according to Education Week.

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