The purpose of this article is to describe and compare individual state funding systems for public elementary and secondary education in the United States. States' major education funding systems are described as well as funding mechanisms for students with disabilities; English language learners (ELL); gifted and talented students; and low income…

Is public education equitable and does it provide an equal opportunity to all children and youths? Equity in public school funding is a critical issue facing all communities and has been addressed by the courts in all but five states. A key focus is on funding gaps between rich and poor school districts. Recently, attention has turned to the…

This research investigates state finance policies for public education using survey methodology. The purpose is to update previous work and the existing knowledge base in the field as well as to provide a compendium of finance and policy options that are used across the states to finance public elementary and secondary schools. Chief state school…

This overview provides a synthesis of a comprehensive survey of school finance programs in the 50 states conducted in 2006-07. Information was provided by chief state school finance officers or persons with expertise in a state's public school funding-allocation system. Brief descriptions of the major Pre-K-12 funding formulae, district-based…

Researchers have long searched for a relationship between school resources and student achievement. The search for this relationship has relied heavily on the use of education production functions. Despite years of research on this topic, there has been little agreement concerning which resources are the most essential variables to increase…

Measures equity of per-pupil revenue distribution across jurisdictions in Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Virginia, using conventional equity statistics and alternative measures (an Index for the upper half of the revenue distribution and the "Angle of Inequity"). The study, including state and local revenues only, showed that…

Reviews the struggle between the public policy goals of local control (liberty) and equal opportunity (equality) as the guiding rationale for conceptions of equity. Discusses ameliorative resource allocation policies and the adequacy construct, along with certain legal implications. Urges that the wealth neutrality principle be broadened. Includes…

Discusses the education financing system approved by the Kentucky legislature following the 1989 Kentucky Supreme Court decision striking down the previous educational financing system. The overall structure of the new system is basically sound. The allocation formula is comparatively simple and should permit both equitable administration and a…

Clear funding/achievement relationships are emerging from the recent body of production-function research. Money does matter in producing educational outcomes. Factors such as small class size and teacher experience can drive up instructional costs. Schools cannot operate efficiently with scanty resources. Equalizing quality resource inputs is a…

This article discusses the methods and results of a study designed to determine the cost of education under the curriculum frameworks and state laws in a northeastern state after major education reform and a judicial decision finding the system inadequate and unconstitutional. The study is designed to determine the funding levels necessary for…

Divides the history of educational federalism into three eras: (1) Presidential Federalism (from the Constitution's enactment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1958); (2) Congressional Federalism (from ESEA until Reagan's election); and (3) Gubernatorial Federalism (the 1980's). Federal aid to education has been reduced,…

Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) reduced and redistributed federal aid to education, moving funds from targeted areas of need to all areas regardless of need. States were unable to make up for significant losses in aid sustained by local districts. (TE)

This research examined the distributional and programmatic impact of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981, Chapter 2, during its first year of implementation, to determine how it has measured up to meeting the goal for which it was enacted, and whether or not the Reagan Administration's promises regarding block grants…

This paper describes selected policy alternatives for the federal government in considering possible revisions to the funding provisions contained in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Following an introductory section, Section 2 examines demographic and fiscal trends that point to increased pressure on the nation's overall system of…