This document provides basic background on how public K-12 education is funded in the United States. It is intended to be a tool to help policymakers when creating an alignment between funding and accountability. This survey addresses briefly the following topics: how much public education costs; where the money comes from; how the money is spent; how states determine funding levels in public schools; how states account for the needs of school districts; how states account for the needs of a diverse student population; how building and capital expenses are funded; how charter schools are funded; how voucher programs are funded; the federal government's participation in school funding; and the role of the courts in education funding. (Contains 3 charts, 13 references in endnotes, and URLs for the Web sites of 7 information resources.) (WFA)