Strengthening the Link Between Effective School Expenditures and State Funding Mechanisms

The existence of many competing economic analyses has prompted generalizations about financial and human resource practices that consistently improve educational outcomes. Such generalizations variously suggest improving administrative policies; classroom and curriculum content; fiscal and physical capacity; and teacher characteristics. Yet, even in the face of increased litigation, state legislatures are slow to apply research findings and to revise school funding formulas and accountability systems in order to adequately provide for the basic needs of widely varying schools and districts. Too often, funding is not structured to ensure all students access to effective educational services. The situation might improve significantly if policymakers at state and district levels would use reliable research findings that strongly suggest linkages between student achievement and school finance policies. Researchers can help empower policymakers to generate maximu