This article makes the case that cost functions are the best available methodology for ensuring consistency between a state's educational accountability system and its education finance system. Because they are based on historical data and well-known statistical methods, cost functions are a particularly flexible and low-cost way to forecast what…

Adequacy studies based on cost functions have come under attack. A recent Texas court battle featured two cost function studies that reached markedly different conclusions about the additional funding needed to meet designated performance goals. Some critics see such disparities as indicators of a general futility in the whole education cost…

This article applies the education cost function methodology in order to estimate additional costs associated with black student concentration and with alternative, race-neutral measures of urban poverty. Recent research highlights the continued importance of the role of race in educational outcomes, and how the intersection of peer group effects…

Recognizing the interrelated nature of the standards movement, school finance litigation, and student outcomes, this study investigates the relationship of school funding and the specific outcome measure of cohort graduation rates in 16 Southern states that comprise the Southern Region Education Board (SREB). Research indicates that Southern…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Arkansas. Arkansas has 254 school districts, which operate 1,114 schools. More than two thirds (68.4%) of all schools are Title I schools. All school districts in Arkansas receive foundation funding--a set amount of money per student. In addition to the foundation funding…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Georgia. States develop educational funding formulas to determine the total amount of funds needed for each student and to establish the state's share of those costs. Although the large majority of states use the common base or foundation formula (25 states and D.C.) or…

Over the last few years, increasing scholarly and media attention has been paid to the plight of undocumented immigrant college students. However, only a small fraction of undocumented youth actually moves on from high school to postsecondary opportunities. Indeed, the exclusion from financial aid eligibility and low family socioeconomic status…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of North Carolina. The state has 214 school districts and a total enrollment of 1,461,740 students in 2,513 public elementary and secondary schools. The current expenditures per pupil in 2007-2008 added up to $8,521, equaling 19.8% of the median state household income. As in…

This article presents Kentucky's education finance and governance profile. Kentucky is home to approximately 4,241,474 people according to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. This represents 1.41% of the entire U.S. population. In terms of education spending, for the 2007-08 school year, Kentucky spent an average of $8,839 per pupil. Overall…

This article presents Louisiana's education finance and governance profile. Louisiana witnessed a 3.9% decline in population during the period from 2000 to 2007. Poverty persists both in urban and rural areas of the state, as demonstrated by visible poverty both in the agricultural parishes and in major cities such as New Orleans and Shreveport…

This article provides information on Maryland's state education finance and governance. The state provides a foundation funding program, which guarantees a minimum or foundation level of per-pupil expenditures for children in all the state's school systems; this is done through a combination of state aid and local revenue. In 2002, Maryland…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Mississippi. Mississippians compose 0.95% of the total U.S. population, and the average density of the state is 60.7 people per square mile. In terms of education finance, the property tax is the sole form of local revenue for public education in Mississippi. In 1997, the…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Oklahoma. The state uses a State Aid Formula to determine the appropriation of funds to various districts. Along with the aid formula, the state collects revenue from the following sources: compensatory programs, special education, vocational programs, transportation…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of South Carolina. In the state of South Carolina, the population in 1990 was estimated at 3,486,310, and as of July 2008 the population was estimated at 4,479,800. In terms of education funding, the K-12 education General Fund appropriation is $2,441,044,733 for Fiscal Year…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Tennessee. The 17th largest state, Tennessee is home to 2.01% of the nation's inhabitants. Funding of K-12 education in Tennessee is accomplished via a formula known as the Basic Educational Program (BEP). This plan primarily utilizes school district enrollment numbers to…