State school finance systems can play an essential role in directing additional resources to schools serving economically disadvantaged students, and research suggests that these resources can make a measurable difference in student outcomes. The vast majority of states (45) allocate some funding to districts based on their enrollment of…

Every child deserves a supportive, well-resourced learning environment where they can thrive. In Ohio, access to high-quality education too often depends on where a child lives, their race, or how much money their family has in the bank. The Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) was designed to fix that decades-old, unconstitutional disparity. This…

The United States and Pennsylvania economies remain deeply depressed compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. While the unemployment rate has come back down to around 7% (7.3% in Pennsylvania, 6.9% in the U.S.), Pennsylvania had 488,000 fewer jobs in October than February and the U.S., 10 million fewer. With COVID case rates higher than ever and…

This brief looks at how Pennsylvania distributed $174 million to Pennsylvania's public school districts in K-12 funding from the CARES Act that the federal government left up to states to allocate. The legislature and the Wolf administration agreed to distribute a fixed amount per district plus distribution of the remaining funds based on…

The Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds programs that connect and assist job seekers with training, support, and education services so that they can find and maintain employment. Services funded by WIOA will be available to job seekers of all ages, including the chronically unemployed, the disabled, displaced workers, and…

In line with the increasing policy emphasis on inclusive education, there is now a greater focus on how best to provide for students special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. However, there is little consensus internationally as to the most equitable way in which to support these students. Despite ongoing evaluations of the existing…

Reforming the way a state distributes its funding to local school districts is clearly a challenging task. This paper presents the Rhode Island story on school funding reform. First, the paper begins with a short history of Rhode Island's school finance system and the key factors that called for school funding reform. Second, the paper discusses…

The purpose of this study was to compare the foundation allocation and three special allocations for special-needs students, ESL students, and students with low socioeconomic status in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia to see what these special allocations look like as vertical equity measures. Because stronger measures are needed if…

Achieving the goals of federal education legislation depends on how federal funds are distributed and used. Since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965, various federal programs have been created to support educational improvement and target additional resources to meet the educational needs of children who are…

Using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System maintained by the California Department of Education (CDE), the authors present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers that may be used to assess whether there are inequities in the…

This report analyzes options for modifying the current provisions for allocating Chapter 1 funds to better meet the program's goals. The report is organized in seven sections. Following an executive summary and introductory remarks in section 1, section 2 analyzes the existing Chapter 1 funds allocation formulas. Section 3 analyzes the targeting…

This final report describes a project to develop a funding process for the distribution of Federal Vocational Education dollars to eligible recipients as dictated by P. L. 94-482. An introductory section considers project background and rationale for a revised system. Section 2 discusses procedures used in the development of a funding process to…

This review of the key issues likely to surround the reauthorization of Chapter 1 covers allocation formulas, selection of schools and students, fiscal issues, and accountability. As Chapter 1 is the largest federal elementary and secondary education program, with appropriations of over $6.1 billion in fiscal year 1993, a concern of…

The Chapter 1 program provides aid to local education agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children. This review of background and issues involved in the reauthorization of Chapter 1 covers funding and participation trends, features of the program, selection for participation, fiscal issues, and program improvement. A key concern is…

This review and comparison of census data on the distribution among states of school-age children in poor families for 1990 and 1980 explores implications in the changes for Chapter 1 funding and administration. Numbers of school-age children in poor families represent the primary factor in the allocation of most funds under the federal Elementary…