School Funding

_{School Funding}

_{By: Daniela Pampalone}

Funding within schools is an important issue that needs to be discussed further. In order to understand some of the issues of education in the United States it is crucial that we take a closer look as to how schools are funded.

According to Wright (1994), unequal distribution of funds between states and areas has turned some public schools into places with affluent students while other schools are overcrowded and dropout rates are high. School funding stems from a mixture of federal, state and city circumstances. Online News Hour stated that 46% of spending for grammar and middle schools comes from the budget of the government. Gollnick and Chinn (2009) reported that education is supported by property taxes, which contributes to 44% of all school funds.  America is found to spend less on public education than many other countries.

Evidence from an international study ranked America last among developed countries among the quality of schools between high and low-income students. It is devastating to view a well-developed nation like the United States rated low in this instance. 

According to a study by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (2004) a comparison between high-income schools and low-income schools was made. Student’s who are fortunate enough to live in communities with high-income schools were generous enough to be funded at $15,000 or more per student per year. Those in low-income communities who are less financially able were distributed with $3,000 or less per year per student. It is discouraging to see that schools in higher income communities receive more funding then those of low-income communities.

It is unfortunate that New York State has a public school system that is split between those who can enjoy the privileges of a good education and those who are less privileged. Many individuals do not agree on how much money is needed to improve student achievement. In order to clarify this, Researchers of the University of Chicago found that better teacher salaries, additional experienced teachers and decreased sizes of classes are connected in an effort to improve student learning.

In a report by Education Trust (2005) because of the disparities of school funding many low-income schools have access to fewer resources. As a result, many educators in these areas are confronted with getting students in these areas very high achievement I high poverty schools regardless of the gaps that funding has created. Additionally, students in these areas have fewer opportunities because a smaller amount of resources are available to them.

In order to alleviate this problem, the government may offer equalized funding to all schools despite the location. Distributing the same resources to low-income schools and high-income schools can provide students with equal opportunities in their education. Providing each school with effective teachers and smaller classes sizes may give each student an equal opportunity to excel in their studies.

References:

Gollnick, D.M., & Chinn, P.C. (2009). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

McCleskey, N. (2004). National Commission on Teaching America's Future. Key 

Findings from a national internet survey of 400 teachers and 95 principals, conducted November 12-21, 2008. Retrieved: September 19, 2009, from: http://www.nctaf.org/documents/Expandedfindingsandprotocol.pdf.

Pristoop, E., & Randolph-McCree, I. (2005, Winter). The Funding Gap 2005, Low-

Income and Minority Students Shortchanged by Most States. A Special Report by Education Trust. Retrieved: September 19, 2009, from: p://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/31D276EF-72E1-458A-8C71-E3D262A4C91E/0/FundingGap2005.pdf

School Funding. PBS Online News Hour. Retrieved: September 19, 2009 from

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/backgrounders/school_funding.html