ERIC Number: ED581428
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014-May
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Review of "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands"
Baker, Bruce D.
National Education Policy Center
The University of Arkansas Center for Education Reform's report on charter school funding inequities proclaims large and growing inequities between school district and charter school revenues, even after accounting for differences in student needs. But the report displays complete lack of understanding of intergovernmental fiscal relationships, which results in the blatantly erroneous assignment of "revenues" between charters and district schools. A district's expenditure can be a charter's revenue, since charter funding is in most states and districts received by pass-through from district funding, and districts often retain responsibility for direct provision of services to charter school students--a reality that the report entirely ignores when applying its resource-comparison framework. In addition, the report suffers from alarmingly vague documentation regarding data sources and methodologies, and it constructs entirely inappropriate comparisons of student population characteristics. Simply put, the findings and conclusions of the study are not valid or useful. Contains a list of combined notes and references. [This is one of a series of Think Twice think tank reviews. For "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," see ED581409.]
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Educational Finance, Educational Equity (Finance), Equal Education, Expenditures, School Districts, Income, Criticism, Evidence, Validity, Comparative Analysis, Standards
National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice
Authoring Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center
Identifiers - Location: Arkansas; New Jersey (Newark); Connecticut; New York (New York); Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Cited: ED580291