In 2013, the California legislature approved the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) as a new way to fund local school districts. The new formula aimed to increase educational equity for low-income, English learners, homeless and foster youth students. The policy established a way to increase funding for school districts with higher percentages…

California's education spending has risen substantially in the past decade, and much of the additional funding has gone toward teacher salaries and benefits. Lagging academic performance and disparate outcomes across demographic groups, however, have amplified concerns about teacher staffing. This report examines trends in teacher spending and…

This is the technical appendix for the report, "Teacher Staffing Trends in California: Assessing the Impact of Recent Spending," which examines recent trends in district staff spending, student-teacher ratios, and teacher credentials and experience, with an added focus on districts that received targeted funding for high-need students…

Five years after the worst pandemic in a century, America's students continue to face significant learning losses resulting from the disruptions. In Michigan, students also continue to feel the impact of the pandemic. And today, their learning outcomes lag behind leading states in key subject areas. Michigan's lackluster performance has been the…

Senate lawmakers found the revenue to support a tax cut that will send $1.68 billion over the biennium to the highest paid 20% of Ohioans who make at least six-figures. Lawmakers made the bold step of closing tax loopholes to offset the cost of this tax cut, rather than spending it on schools, which could directly benefit every community in Ohio.…

Every two to three years since 2008, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has conducted a survey of sustainability professionals employed in higher education. These surveys aggregate information from sustainability staff and specialized positions such as recycling & waste staff and academic staff…

Each year, school systems and lead agencies plan for how to improve student learning in the coming year. This process involves reviewing student achievement and progress data, establishing priorities, aligning budgets to these priorities, and implementing plans with support. Ensuring students receive the supports they deserve will require ongoing…

After being sued for inequity and inadequacy in school funding, many states in the US have reformed their education aid formulas but have still faced many criticisms. Using Connecticut as an example, this paper shows how to design a more equitable and adequate aid formula with tools to win broad support from communities and lawmakers. It develops…

Public schools receive funding from three different government sources: local, state, and federal. Local and state governments contribute the majority of funding to support public school systems, while the federal government provides a small fraction (only about 8% on average). Even with recent infusions of federal funding related to the COVID-19…

In this report, the authors propose and simulate a framework for a new foundation formula approach to distributing federal K-12 education aid. This proposal, with full funding and compliance, would provide every school district with the estimated revenues necessary to reach the goal of average national outcomes in mathematics and reading. The…

In the United States, financial incentives have been used by the U.S. Government to reward performance at colleges and universities since the 1960s. Various case-studies have documented that incentivization programs may not result in positive outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to identify two-year, public colleges'…

America's labor market presents a paradox. Although the unemployment rate is just 3.9%, there are more jobs open than people who can fill them. Nationwide, there are roughly 68 workers for every 100 open jobs. Many factors contribute to this workforce shortage, but one of the most significant is a growing skills gap -- millions of workers across…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Students Are Speaking." Contents include: (1) Books Are for Learning, Not…

The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to accountability and strategic planning by fostering greater coordination between University Boards of Trustees and the Board of Governors regarding each institution's direction…

In 2014, RTI International, with the support of Advance CTE, conducted research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, which established how states allocated categorical funds for CTE during the academic year 2011-12 and the amounts of those allocations. By returning to this topic 10 years later, Advance CTE seeks to understand how CTE is…