Per Pupil Spending and Student Achievement

By Hilary Bachman

Background•1970- Per pupil spending was under $5000

•2000- Spending over $10,000

•National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEP) scores stayed the same during that period.

How Title I Money is Distributed

Under NCLB, Title I funding makes up over 1/3 of all federal spending on education

Money allocated based on % and number of poor students in a district

25 states with the lowest poverty levels received more money per student

Cost of education varies per state- states with low poverty also has higher costs

Problems with Title I Funding

Elementary schools more likely to receive funds, even though secondary schools have higher student poverty rates.

Studies show that schools who receive Title I money may have more academic gains, but only when the money goes towards direct student services.

May see more impact but difficult to tell- schools that accept Title I funding may receive less state and local funds; overall they may receive less money.

More Money = More Achievement?

Per pupil spending is 20 times higher than 100 years ago

Where is this money going towards?Special education costs 2x as much per student Increasing teacher pay (if you can believe it)More teachers, smaller classes

The Courts Get InvolvedIn the last 30 years, 45 out of 50 states had

major legal challenges regarding state funding of public schools.

The Courts have found that the best way to improve student achievement is through the hiring of better teachers.

Many states shifting from local funding to state controlled funding.

The ResultsThere is no relationship

between school spending and student achievement.

However, spending money on specific resources will increase achievement.Smaller class sizesSupport services for studentsMost importantly: Teachers

Problems with Teachers

The courts found that students in the poorest schools are most likely to be taught by teachers without certificates or out-of-

field teachers.

Out-of-field teachers teach more than 35% of classes in

high poverty schools; elementary schools have over 50% of their classes taught by

these teachers.

Over 50% of teachers leave the teaching field after 5 years; many of these were rated as some of the best teachers.

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What Schools Can Do…Spend funds on direct student services (teachers,

counselors, school nurses, etc.) instead of textbooks/technology/administrative needs.

Reconsider if Title I funding is the best- you may receive more money if you decline it.

Carefully track where money is spent; many schools were unable to provide financial reports regarding their spending.

Stop increasing spending per pupil- there are no educational gains when spending is increased.

What the Government and Courts Can Do…

Congress and states need more oversight of spending; States were unable to provide information regarding how much money each school received and what it was spent on.

It is difficult for researchers to look into relationships with spending without knowing what the money was spent on.

Courts are increasingly involved in school funding issues. However, schools spend millions of dollars on legal fees. Studies show that court-ordered spending creates only a minimal, and insignificant, increase in school funds.