NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
PDF on ERIC Download full text
ERIC Number: ED642549
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 53
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
School Funding Effectiveness: Evidence from California's Local Control Funding Formula
Rucker C. Johnson
Learning Policy Institute
In 2013, California implemented an ambitious school funding reform, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which allocates state funding by the proportion of unduplicated "high-need" students in the district: those from low-income families, English learners, and those in foster care. The goal of LCFF was to reduce academic achievement gaps between socioeconomically disadvantaged children and their more advantaged counterparts by committing $18 billion in increased state support, allocated based on pupil needs, to be incrementally distributed over 8 years. This reform was distinctive in two ways. First, its multiyear design pre-committed funds, so districts were assured this would not be a temporary, reversible change. This commitment enabled districts to plan long-term, transformative initiatives rather than one-off expenditures. Second, the funding came with minimal restrictions on how schools could use it, giving fiscal sovereignty to districts. This study investigates the impacts of LCFF-induced increases in per-pupil spending on student achievement and behavioral and attainment outcomes. To examine the impact of increased funding on student outcomes, the study links district- and school-level information on school resources and per-pupil spending with longitudinal student data for the full universe of public school students in California who were first observed in kindergarten and followed as they progressed through the K-12 school system. This student-level data included 6.2 million K-12 students in each year studied. The analyses span the school years 1995-96 through 2018-19 across the 10,000 schools and 1,000 districts in the state but focus particular attention on the rollout period of LCFF implementation from 2013 through 2019. [Additional funding from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Population Center pilot grant.]
Learning Policy Institute. 1530 Page Mill Road Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94304. Tel: 650-332-9797; e-mail: info@learningpolicyinstitute.org; Web site: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org
Related Records: ED642550
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: William T. Grant Foundation; Stanford University, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE)
Authoring Institution: Learning Policy Institute
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A