We leverage an obscure set of rules in Texas's school funding formula granting some districts additional revenue as a function of size and sparsity. We use variation from kinks and discontinuities in this formula to ask how districts spend additional discretionary funds, and whether these improve student outcomes. A $1,000 annual increase in…

The Great Recession caused many school districts across the country to make numerous cuts in their annual budget models. As a result of these austerity measures, administrators often reduced arts education offerings. In the current study, we highlight how budget reductions in three districts negatively impacted music education curricula, and how…

Every year we invest billions in professional development to build teachers' capacity to better address the diverse academic needs of every student. Yet student learning continues to fall short of expectations in too many places. We must ask the question: Is there a better way to invest in the professional learning of teachers across America? Our…

Ohio's school funding system is complex. The average taxpayer has at best a limited understanding about how their public schools' revenues and expenditures are collected, distributed, and expended. Overlay on the already complicated funding model with a myriad of school choice options with various funding mechanisms and amounts results in…

This research examined the impact of school location on teaching and learning through a case study of two urban, two rural and two remote Fijian secondary schools. A total of 48 semi-structured interviews were conducted: 16 from each category of urban, rural and remote. Each school was represented by three teachers, three heads of department and…

My dissertation examines the enrollment patterns of White children in traditional U.S. public schools in 2010. I link schools to their attendance boundaries to compare the percentage of White children living in a catchment area to the percentage of White children who attend the local neighborhood school. I find that just under a third of schools…

The purpose of this study is to use geographic information systems to map the spatial distribution of traditional public school closures and the opening of charter schools in Detroit. To achieve this purpose, we examine the following research questions: (a) How are traditional public school closures and the opening of charter schools spatially…

K-12 Illinois public school facilities need to be repaired and rebuilt. The County School Facility Occupation Tax (CSFT) was made law in 2007 in Illinois to help provide funding for Illinois public school facilities. This single case study, qualitative research, outlines findings from 86, face-to- face, phone and email interviews and approximately…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare measures of socio-economic status (Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage values (ICSEA)), school performance, school funding and school readiness in terms of their impact on student performance. In this respect, the paper tests the proposition -- given research that suggests the teacher is…

The case study presented below is a representation of a real-world, ongoing situation involving a public school district's capital outlay for charter schools within its boundaries. One particular charter, Beacon Charter School, was promised a permanent building by the public school district that also acts as its authorizer. However, recent events…

Doing more with less is noble in public education. This is something quality public charter schools do well. It is also something, that cash-strapped rural and high need schools across Idaho know all too well themselves. It is well documented that all of public education in Idaho operates on leaner rations than do schools in most parts of the…

California policymakers have established the expectation that all public school students should have access to a broad course of study, in classes where instruction is consistent with the state's content standards. Further, the state holds schools and school districts accountable for their ability to ensure that all students achieve at a specified…

Since the 1990s, New Public Management has been a part of Argentina's educational policies. Mainly, school-centered management and strategic planning are seen as imperative for establishing and sustaining schools' efficiency. Delegating commitment and responsibility to schools is the key of this managerial logic. Here, we will analyze the dynamics…

The article discussed how, why and who is in charge of administering and funding schools in Nigeria. The author utilised the relevant statistical approach which examined and discussed various political and historical trends affecting education. Besides this, relevant documented statistical data were used to both buttress and substantiate related…

This paper evaluates potential benefits of the community schools model. The sample consists of 20 Community Schools and 40 comparison schools. Data were obtained from the 2013 Illinois School Report Cards, including demographics, and grade-level ISAT scores by gender and subject. A matched sampling method was used to control for student…