A small number of studies have examined the importance of collective bargaining agreements in the context of teacher quality, school finance, or student outcomes. Although the evidence for a bargaining effect on most measures is mixed, the preponderance has suggested that bargaining increases expenditures on teacher compensation. In this article,…

This is a watershed era in education as the states and the nation move from the old equity and adequacy of minimums and basic skills to the new equity and adequacy of excellence in education and proficiency outcomes for all children and at all schools. This is being driven by the requirements of the knowledge society, global economy, and…

This article addresses the design and application of cost adjustments in state school finance policies intended to compensate local public school districts for differences in the costs of recruiting and retaining teachers. Broadly speaking, the state policy objective for including cost adjustments to state aid for such things as teacher cost…

This article presents the findings from the application of a school-level expenditure framework (see Odden et al., 2003) to 11 elementary schools in 4 states. This detailed expenditure model assigns resources according to the various educational strategies deployed in the school. Nine of the 11 schools studied have implemented one of the following…

In this study, we investigate the types of overlay provisions used in public school funding and the impacts that these provisions can have on equity, fiscal neutrality, and adequacy in school funding. We begin by reviewing the various overlay provisions that could be used by states. We then turn to an analysis of Indiana's 2004 foundation aid…

Although datasets such as the Integrated Postsecondary Data System are available as inputs to higher education funding formulas, these datasets can be unreliable, incomplete, or unresponsive to criteria identified by state education officials. State formulas do not always match the state's economic and human capital goals. This article analyzes…

Two years ago a fiscal equity analysis assessed the current Virginia equalization formula over its history (fiscal year 1975-fiscal year 2003). The findings indicated by accepted equity statistics were that the level of equity improved from fiscal year 1975 through fiscal year 1994 and leveled off from fiscal year 1994 through fiscal year 2003.…

The province of Ontario, Canada, has always claimed a stellar system of education. Unfortunately, this claim has gradually lost its validity as funding has slipped with the associated slide of quality. No longer can the province claim to enable an education system second to none. The discussion in this article is based on the reality that an…

March 24, 2007, marked a decade since the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled that the state school funding system was unconstitutional. Further, "DeRolph I" was followed by three more Ohio State Supreme Court decisions regarding the issue. Although the judicial decisions of "DeRolph I and II", reinforced by "DeRolph IV", clearly identified the legal…

This article examines recent trends in the allocation of education dollars across school districts, investigating in particular the impact of federal dollars on school funding disparities. Using both the coefficient of variation and the range ratio to evaluate spending disparities, this article estimates that over the 1990s, funding disparities…

This article presents a principal-agent model in the context of public schools to help explain the use of merit pay for teachers. The model considers how both the nature of teaching and the political costs of union resistance affect school district merit pay decisions. Our results support the idea that merit pay is more likely in environments…

A large literature finds that resources are not significant determinants of student performance. These results may arise because resources really do not matter in public education or because local school districts allocate additional resources to poorer performing schools. To shed light on this issue, a unique data set for the Metropolitan…

Within the past 2 decades, the education services industry has been characterized as going through a period of high tuition with an increased reliance on the use of loan financing. This study examines the impact of this high-tuition, high-loan approach, especially as it relates to the role of socioeconomic status on educational choice within…

This article examines adequacy-based education reform, beginning with the reforms undertaken in Kentucky, but then expanding out to the rest of the states to obtain a fuller picture and to conduct a study more amenable to statistical analysis. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data were used as part of the analysis, with a focus…

This study analyzed the degree to which state education funding systems supported social justice for the 1998-99 school year, where social justice was operationalized using the theory of vertical equity and research-based factors that placed students at risk of academic failure. The results of the study combined content analysis and statistical…