Resource Inequity

Disparities in education funding, their consequences for students, and ways to address them

Explainer

State Education Funding: The Poverty Equation

Authored byNicole Katz

A breakdown of each state’s education funding and how equitably it’s being distributed

Commentary

The Case for a New School Finance Reform Agenda

Authored byZahava Stadler

An argument for changing the way we finance local schools

From the Field

Q&A: Jackson on How School Spending Cuts Affect Student Achievement

How cuts to education spending lead to weaker student outcomes

Explainer

A Primer on Student-Based Budgeting

Authored byPete Weber

How school districts can benefit from a weighted student funding formula

Report

Changing the Narrative: The Push for New Equity Measures in Education

Authored byLynn Olson, Thomas Toch

The movement to introduce new indicators of school performance

School Transportation

45%

Superintendents who say every student in their district qualifies for free, school-provided transportation
75%

Superintendents who say access to transportation impacts chronic absenteeism in their district

Source: HopSkipDrive

Per Pupil Expenditures FY20

$19,035

Median per pupil expenditures by school districts in FY20 in the Northeast
$10,746

In the South

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Lost Instructional Time

13

Estimated weeks of lost instruction among students enrolled in low-poverty schools that were remote for most of 2020-21
22

Among students enrolled in high-poverty schools

Source: The Atlantic

Student Loan Debt by Race

45%

Black students who owe more than $40k in student loan debt a year after graduation
18%

White students

Source: Education Data Initiative

Advanced Placement

27%

Rural students in high schools with no advanced placement courses
15%

Students nationwide in high schools with no advanced placement courses

Source: Center for American Progress

From the Field

Q&A: Biasi on New Insights into School Spending and Student Outcomes

Authored byLiz Cohen

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Commentary

What Wisconsin’s Governor Really Accomplished With His School Funding Change

Authored byZahava Stadler

Read More about What Wisconsin’s Governor Really Accomplished With His School Funding Change

From the Field

Research Notes: Does Extra Funding for Rural School Districts Make a Difference?

Authored byBenito Aranda-Comer

Read More about Research Notes: Does Extra Funding for Rural School Districts Make a Difference?

Report

The Future of American Education: Next Generation Ideas for the Nation’s Schools and Colleges

Read More about The Future of American Education: Next Generation Ideas for the Nation’s Schools and Colleges

Commentary

The Case for a New School Finance Reform Agenda

Authored byZahava Stadler

Read More about The Case for a New School Finance Reform Agenda

From the Field

How to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness

Read More about How to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness

Explainer

The Pandemic and the Educational Opportunity Gap

Authored byCatherine Dragone

Read More about The Pandemic and the Educational Opportunity Gap

Commentary

This Year, States and Districts Can’t Count on Enrollment Counts

Authored byPhyllis W. Jordan

Read More about This Year, States and Districts Can’t Count on Enrollment Counts

Explainer

With Schools Shut Down, Are Districts Saving Money?

Authored byTiffany Zhou, Jonathan Travers

Read More about With Schools Shut Down, Are Districts Saving Money?

Explainer

State Education Funding: The Poverty Equation

Authored byNicole Katz

Read More about State Education Funding: The Poverty Equation

Explainer

A Primer on Student-Based Budgeting

Authored byPete Weber

Read More about A Primer on Student-Based Budgeting

Commentary

How to Narrow Education Spending Gaps

Authored byMarshall S. Smith, Jennifer O’Day

Read More about How to Narrow Education Spending Gaps