School Funding and Finance

Websites
The Funding Gap 2005: Low Income and Minority Students Short-Changed by Most States -- the most recent annual report by the Education Trust on the issue of school funding inequalities.

The Funding Gap 2004: Many States Still Shortchange Low-Income and Minority Students -- 2004 research by the Education Trust about inequalities in school funding.

What Research Says About Unequal Funding for Schools in America -- an excellent research synthesis by Bruce Biddle and David Berliner, 2003.

School Finance: Coverage in Education Week -- a good overview and lots of links and current and past articles.

Aid Disparities in Needy Schools Seen as Rising -- a 2004 report about how the gap in school funding between wealthy and poor districts is growing in most states.

Education Finance Statistics Center -- national statistics for the U.S., by state, at the National Center for Education Statistics.

"Savage Inequalities" Revisited -- an article relating the 2002 study, "The Funding Gap," by the Education Trust, to Jonathan Kozol's 1990 research and book, "Savage Inequalities."

The Return to Separate and Unequal: Metropolitan Milwaukee School Funding Through a Racial Lens. -- the full report available online -- includes documentation of how Milwaukee's school funding has fallen further and further below the state average as the percentage of students of color served by the district has increased.

The Return to Separate and Unequal -- an article about funding inequalities and related racial discrimination in Wisconsin and Milwaukee.

Money Makes a Difference -- a recent research report from a federal educational research organization.

Investing in Learning: School Funding Policies to Foster High Performance -- a report by the Committee for Economic Development, that as education policies focus more forcefully on student achievement, policymakers need to overhaul 20th-century school finances in ways that support and encourage learning.

Court Orders New York City Funding Shift -- an article about a precedent-setting ruling in July, 2003, that directs the New York State legislature to reform how it finances education -- the case acknowledges inequalities that negatively affect New York City schools and students, and it has implications beyond New York State.

Public School Review -- a site with information, including per-pupil expenditure rates, for almost every public school in the country.

The Alliance for Quality Education -- an activist group in New York State working to achieve equality in education funding in New York -- they provide lots of useful data and ideas for reform, for New York State.

The Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) -- The organization leading the legal battle for school funding reform in New York State.

The Educational Priorities Panel (EPP) -- an organization dedicated to improving "the quality of public education for New York City's children, so there is no longer a performance gap between city schools and those in the rest of the state -- this site has useful data and information related to the pursuit of school funding reform.

The Midstate Finance Consortium -- an organization dedicated to acheiving school funding reform in New York State.

21st Century School Finance: How Is the Context Changing?-- a good article about current changes relevant to the school funding issue.

School Finance Litigation -- key court cases by state, year, and status, 1970-1999.

Financing Schools. -- an entire Issue of The Future of Children, 7(3), 1997, Winter, devoted to the issue of school funding inequalities and solutions -- many excellent articles -- published by the Center for the Future of Children, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation.

Financing Schools: Analysis and Recommendations -- an excellent overview article from 1997.

Understanding the Impact of the School Funding Gap -- a 2002 case study in Illinois.

Redesigning School Finance -- information regarding possible funding reforms.

School Funding Equity -- a site with lots of good articles and information.

Texas School Finance Disparities -- an article about a 1998 report in Texas.

Fair Funding for Texas School Children -- a 2003 essay about attempts to address funding inequalities in Texas -- some progress has been made, but significant inequalities remain.

Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data -- government financial data including revenues, expenditures, debt, and assets of elementary and secondary public school systems.

The SAGE Program -- The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program has been proven to improve student achievement in schools serving low-income communities. It does this through solid funding of schools, a reduction in class size, longer school hours, collaboration with community organizatins, rigorous curriculum and high standards for teachers. When compared with the use of vouchers, this program produces higher levels of achievement through funding and school reform than does school choice.

Reconsidering No Child Left Behind -- A news radio program about how some school officials, especially in rural areas, say the federal mandate is inflexible and their school systems cannot meet the demands. Several states are considering opting out of federal funds just to escape the federal mandate. Includes lots of links to related stories and issues.

Some Good Books and Articles
Biddle, B. 1997. Foolishness, Dangerous Nonsense, and Real Correlates of State Differences in Achievement. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(1): 8-13.

Biddle, B. & Berliner, D. 2002. Small Class Sizes and Its Effects. Educational Leadership, 59(5): 12-23.

Biddle, B. & Berliner, D. 2002. Unequal School Funding in the United States. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 48-59.

Elliot, M. 1998. School Finance and Opportunity to Learn: Does Money Well Spent Enhance Students' Achievement? Sociology of Education, 71(3): 223-245.

Firestone, W. 1997. From Cashbox to Classroom. Teachers College Press.

Greenwald, R. Hedges, L. & Laine, R. 1996. The Effect of School Expenditures on School Achievement. Review of Educational Research, 66(3): 361-396.

Karp, S. et al., 1997. Funding for Justice: Money, Equity and the Future of Public Education. Rethinking Schools.

Kozol, J. 1991. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. Harper.

Kozol, J. 2005. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in the America. Crown.

Monk, D. & Brent, B. 1997. Raising Money for Education: A Guide to Property Tax. Corwin Press.

Payne, K. & Biddle, B. 1999. Poor School Funding, Child Poverty, and Mathematics Achievement. Educational Researcher, 28(6): 4-13.

Slavin, R. 1999. How Can Funding Equity Ensure Enhanced Achievement? Journal of Education Finance, 24(4): 519-528.

Wenglinsky, H. 1997. How Money Matters: The Effect of School District Spending on Academic Achievement. Sociology of Education, 70(3): 221-237.

Some Good Videos
Children in America's Schools. 1997 -- a powerful documentary about school funding inequalities and their consequences, in Ohio.

Upstairs, Downstairs. 1989 -- a documentary about school funding inequalities in New Jersey and Kentucky.