ERIC Number: ED660111
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Aug
Pages: 66
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
When Money Matters Most: Unpacking the Effectiveness of School Spending. EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1016
Emily Rauscher; Greer Mellon; Susanna Loeb; Carolyn Abott
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Targeted school funding is a potentially valuable policy lever to increase educational equality by race, ethnicity, and income, but it remains unclear how to target funds most effectively. We use a regression discontinuity approach to compare districts that narrowly passed or failed a school funding election. We use close tax elections in 9 states to identify effects of operating funds and close bond elections in 8 states to identify effects of capital funds. Results indicate positive achievement returns to spending, especially for math achievement and for operating funds. We find similar returns to spending by race, ethnicity, and income (not statistically different), but we find significantly larger returns for students in low-resource districts than in high-resource districts, including larger returns for Black, Latinx, and low-income students. Mediation analyses suggest spending on teacher salaries and counselors may be particularly effective mechanisms to increase achievement among Black and low-income students. [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Gilead Foundation Creating Possible Fund and the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University.]
Descriptors: School District Spending, Financial Support, School Funds, Outcomes of Education, Mathematics Achievement, Operating Expenses, Race, Ethnicity, Income, Depleted Resources, Low Income Students, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, Achievement, Institutional Characteristics, Expenditure per Student
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: AISR_Info@brown.edu; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: William T. Grant Foundation
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: Arkansas; California; Louisiana; Mississippi; Missouri; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Texas; Wisconsin; Iowa; Oklahoma
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A