Arizona has represented the epicenter of school choice in the United States. The state has had open enrollment for district schools for 30 years, charter schools for more than 25 years, a private school tax credit program for nearly as long, and was the first state in the country in 2011 to enact direct parent-appropriations through targeted…

This policy paper estimates the short-run economic effects of the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), Michigan's state-funded preschool program for 4-year-olds. The paper considers 15-year effects on state residents' per capita incomes due to impacts on employment rates and real wages, as well as cost-savings from free preschool and fiscal…

This policy paper provides some updated estimates of the short-run fiscal effects of expanding Michigan's state-funded preschool program, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), to encompass universal access for Michigan's four-year-olds. This is an update to Policy Paper No. 2025-034, which analyzed the economic and fiscal effects of Michigan's…

Across the U.S., a growing movement toward education freedom is driving the rise of "edupreneurs"--educators, parents and entrepreneurs creating innovative learning environments designed to meet the needs of individual kids. As used in this paper, the term edupreneur includes owners and operators of private schools and programs for…

While prior research has indicated increased funding to higher education has resulted in positive outcomes related to enrollment, retention and graduation rates, and degree and certificate completions (Cummings et al., 2021), there is more to learn about disparities in funding to institutions and target student populations. With this aim, the…

Spending per pupil by Wisconsin public schools has lagged inflation in recent years and fallen further behind the U.S. average. This is due to a series of policy choices, including a recent two-year freeze on state-imposed caps on school district revenues, that have also helped to hold down state and local taxes. In a related trend, the share of…

Public Agenda surveyed Illinois residents to learn about how they view public higher education and what would help it serve them and the state better. Three research briefs highlight key findings from the broader survey findings. This brief finds that nearly three in four residents--including majorities of Democrats, independents and…

We sought to quantify the fiscal impact of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' released time programme in the state of Utah, in the United States of America, on funding for American public education. The guiding research question for this study was: How much money does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' seminary…

Education Development Center, in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS), received an Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation Child Care Policy Research Partnership grant in 2022 to study state-administered funding initiatives aimed at supporting child care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular…

As of 2023, 44 states plus the District of Columbia provide schools with supplemental funding for their low-income students. Policymakers often want to understand how the "amount" of extra funding they provide for low-income students compares to other states. Because states use different methodologies to determine these amounts, previous…

Outdoor preschool education is increasing, particularly in the United States where it has been less common than in some other countries. Proponents claim a variety of benefits from the approach, including that it allows children to explore and play in nature much more than in traditional classrooms. In the context of a pandemic with high rates of…

The distribution of state funding to school districts has a tremendous impact on student learning opportunities. State leaders juggle different priorities, tradeoffs and incentives when designing funding formulas with the goal of ensuring every student has the learning opportunities to succeed. This toolkit offers a strategic guide for reforming…

Ohio's voucher programs use public funds to subsidize tuition at eligible private K-12 schools. Ohio has three general education voucher programs -- EdChoice, EdChoice Expansion, and the Cleveland program -- that together provide a publicly funded voucher for any Ohio family, regardless of income. Ohio lawmakers drove an increase in the last state…

This study investigates how individual states raise revenue to pay for elementary-secondary education spending after a school finance reform (SFR). We consider 24 states that implemented SFRs between 1989 and 2005. Using a synthetic control approach, we identify six case-study states (Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, and…

This study investigates how individual states raise revenue to pay for elementary-secondary education spending following school finance reforms (SFRs). We identify states that increased and sustained education expenditures after reform, search for legislative statutes that appropriated more education spending, and assess how policymakers funded…