2stop

Curious why population is even a factor here. If it legitimately should be... why not compare states of the US with states of the EU? (Seems a roughly equivalent thing to do)

Research done more than 20 years ago (and repeated and confirmed) already found that teachers have very little effect on educational outcomes. The biggest correlative factor is socioeconomic status and education level of the parents. Everything else is hit or miss

But hey, let’s publish a pointless paper... because academia.

If someone facetimes you and hangs up, that can happen. (I've noticed).