The impact of school resources on student outcomes was first raised in the 1960s and has been controversial since then. This issue enters into the decision making on school finance in both legislatures and the courts. The historical research found little consistent or systematic relationship of spending and achievement, but this research…

Examines school-funding equity litigation concerning rural schools, effects of political power on rural funding, rural and urban competition for funding, unique funding problems of rural schools, the growing threat to equity posed by sales-tax funding schemes, and future funding-litigation strategies for rural schools. Tables list relevant federal…

Given the overall annual expenditure of approximately $250 billion on public education in the United States, there is great interest in how these dollars are allocated to states. This brief presents data showing the relationship between access to public-education resources and community wealth across all school districts in the United States for…

This policy brief presents findings from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory research on resource allocation in 1,504 independent school districts in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. Using 5 years' data from the federal Common Core of Data and the Census Bureau along with 3 years of student performance data from each state…

A study analyzed state funding policies for serving limited English proficient (LEP) students and related patterns of state aid allocations to school districts. State efforts were often poorly conceived or applied, and often inadequate. Only New Jersey and Florida met all study criteria for adequacy, "rationality," and equity of funding,…

This special bulletin examines the Texas Supreme Court's January 1995 final opinion in the Edgewood vs. Meno case, the latest in a series of rulings on the constitutionality of the Texas public school funding system. The first article summarizes the majority opinion, discusses the implications of the court's 5-4 ruling, and suggests that further…

Three components of the teacher shortage are the recruitment challenge, the retention problem, and the demand for teacher quality. Although the teacher shortage problem involves many factors, any solution must address salaries. Rural districts face a threefold disadvantage: teachers are not compensated as well as other rural professionals; rural…

A meeting of education finance scholars discussed finance issues relevant to rural schools and communities. This paper summarizes major themes that emerged during the meeting. Notions of efficiency and economies of scale have contributed to widespread consolidation of rural schools and school districts. The value of community is not easily…

This research snapshot provides answers to some of the key questions about budgeted revenues and expenditures within U.S. public school systems. The questions are as follows: (1) Why is information about school district budgets important? (2) How are school district budgets generally allocated? (3) To what extent do districts' expenditures vary by…

This research brief examines staffing patterns within U.S. public school systems. Specifically, it answers the following sets of questions: (1) Why is information about staffing ratios important? (2) How many people currently work in public schools? What proportion of these are teachers, administrators, and support staff? (3) What are the current…

This book chronicles the history of school finance reform in Texas between 1968 and 1995. Specifically, the book focuses on the substantial changes in the method of funding Texas public schools, aimed at creating a more equitable system of educational opportunity. The author, Dr. Jose A. Cardenas, founded the Intercultural Development Research…

This brief paper suggests that state leaders create charter districts in which all or most schools are charter or contract schools. Such districts, according to the paper, would help policymakers create school systems that focus on student achievement and provide high-quality choices to students and parents. The paper examines why charter…