Historically,
the amount of funding provided to public schools has
been based on a politically determined amount of money
available for state education aid - without an analysis
of educational needs - and on local ability to raise
through property taxes. As a result, school revenues
are the result of political struggles over how to distribute
money among a state's school districts.
In
37 states, experts in education finance have performed
"costing-out studies" at
the request of state legislatures or other organizations,
in order to determine the amount of school funding needed
to provide all students a meaningful educational opportunity.
Overview>>
Background information and useful resources
A
Costing-Out Primer>>
An explanation of what costing-out studies are, their
history, and the methodologies used
Fact
Sheets>>
Fact sheets summarizing the results of costing-out studies
performed in 39 states
Costing-Out
Policy Brief>>
A policy brief on the costing study-based school funding
in Maryland
"Professional
Rigor, Public Engagement and Judicial Review">>
2006 article by Michael A. Rebell that analyzes judicial
critiques of “costing out” studies and recommends
improvements to the current practice of costing out
Easy Reference Handouts (PDF):
Cost
Study Chart: One-page chart on cost studies
across the country
Cost
Study Map: One-page map of cost studies
across the country
NCLB
Cost Study Chart: One-page chart on cost
studies about NCLB
NCLB
Cost Study Map: One-page map of cost
studies about NCLB
An
Introduction to Education Cost Studies: Two-page
issue brief
What
Are Education "Cost Studies"?: Know-the-issues
handout
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