Education constitutes a significant investment at all levels of government, and understanding how funding structures, revenue streams, and spending practices influence student outcomes is important for education researchers and practitioners alike. The pandemic has underscored the significance of education finance, with projected funding shortages making the need for fiscal data and evidence-based spending practices that much more urgent. Although not in direct response to the pandemic, some recently completed and ongoing IES-funded research projects may contribute to a better understanding of education spending and how certain spending models and practices relate to student outcomes.
In 2017, the National Center for Education Research (NCER) awarded a grant to Dr. Marguerite Roza at Georgetown University to explore the weighted student funding (WSF) allocation strategy. Districts using WSF provide a fixed dollar amount to schools for each student, with larger increments going to students identified as having greater needs (including students with limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, and students who come from low-income households). This study examined 19 large, urban districts that use WSF to better understand the diverse ways in which these strategies are implemented and can influence student outcomes. Key findings indicated that, on average, WSF districts spend more on schools with higher concentrations of low-income students. In addition, test scores in English language arts and math were higher for the overall student population in districts that use WSF than in non-WSF districts in the same state. However, there was no evidence that WSF was associated with better test scores for Black or Hispanic students.
In 2020, NCER funded an efficacy study led by Dr. Sean Tanner at WestEd to evaluate the impact of fiscal flexibility in Title I compensatory revenue on student achievement, grade progression, and class completion. Fiscal flexibility refers to the policy that allows schools to spend Title 1 revenue across the school rather than for those services that specifically target at-risk students. Findings from this study could inform decisions around the level of autonomy schools should be given over how to use Title I compensatory funding to boost the success of the lowest performing students.
While the above projects are important contributions to the field, additional research is needed to address limitations in our understanding of how education funds are being spent and how dollars can be maximized to promote positive student outcomes. For example, research on special education spending is sorely needed. National data on special education spending are over 20 years old and pre-date many key changes to the way that students with disabilities are educated, including the rise in inclusive classrooms and multi-tiered systems of support.
Newly funded research and upcoming data collection efforts may offer insights into how schools and districts spend money as well as opportunities for additional research:
- In 2020, NCER awarded Dr. Marguerite Roza another grant to develop an open-access archive of school-level spending data. The project will build off the requirement in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for states to publish school-level financial data by making the data available and usable for researchers and policymakers.
- The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is planning several revisions to the Annual Survey of School System Finances. Changes will include adding new items on special education spending, such as expenses for instruction, transportation, support services, and instructional staff as well as total special education expenditures.
- NCES also plans to add new revenue and expenditure variables to the National Public Education Financial Survey related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
- The National Center for Education Evaluation’s Study of District and School Uses of Federal Education Funds will examine how funds—and flexibilities—from five major federal education programs are used to support students.
Understanding how resource allocation influences outcomes will only become more important in coming years as education settings grapple with the financial impacts of the pandemic. Through the research that NCER and NCSER fund (analyzing existing data and/or collecting primary data) as well as data collection efforts in NCES, IES hopes to contribute to a better understanding of education finance and inform practical decisions in this area.
This blog was written by Bennett Lunn (Bennett.Lunn@ed.gov), Truman-Albright Fellow, NCER and National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) and Katie Taylor (Katherine.Taylor@ed.gov) program officer, NCSER.
Elimu ni uwekezaji mkubwa katika ngazi zote za serikali, na kuelewa jinsi miundo ya ufadhili, mtiririko wa mapato, na mazoea ya matumizi yanavyoathiri matokeo ya wanafunzi ni muhimu kwa watafiti wa elimu na watendaji sawa. "Mgonjwa huu umesisitiza umuhimu wa fedha za elimu, na upungufu wa fedha unaotarajiwa hufanya haja ya data ya kifedha na mazoea ya matumizi ya ushahidi kuwa ya haraka zaidi. """ Ingawa sio majibu ya moja kwa moja kwa janga hilo, baadhi ya miradi ya utafiti iliyokamilishwa hivi karibuni na inayoendelea inayofadhiliwa na IES inaweza kuchangia uelewa bora wa matumizi ya elimu na jinsi mifano fulani ya matumizi na mazoea yanavyohusiana na matokeo ya wanafunzi. Mwaka 2017, Kituo cha Taifa cha Utafiti wa Elimu (NCER) kilimpa Dk Marguerite Roza, Mtaalamu wa Utafiti wa Chuo Kikuu cha Georgetown, ruzuku ya kuchunguza mkakati wa mgawanyo wa fedha za wanafunzi (WSF). Wilaya zinazotumia WSF hutoa kiasi cha dola kwa shule kwa kila mwanafunzi, na ongezeko kubwa kwenda kwa wanafunzi waliotambuliwa kuwa na mahitaji makubwa (ikiwa ni pamoja na wanafunzi wenye ujuzi mdogo wa Kiingereza, wanafunzi wenye ulemavu, na wanafunzi wanaotoka kwa kaya zenye mapato ya chini). Utafiti huu ulichunguza wilaya 19 kubwa za mijini ambazo hutumia WSF kuelewa vizuri njia tofauti ambazo mikakati hii inatekelezwa na inaweza kuathiri matokeo ya wanafunzi. Kwa mujibu wa ripoti hiyo, wilaya za shule za msingi za WFS zinatumia zaidi pesa kwa ajili ya shule zenye idadi kubwa ya wanafunzi wenye mapato ya chini. Kwa kuongezea, alama za mtihani katika sanaa za lugha ya Kiingereza na hisabati zilikuwa za juu kwa idadi ya jumla ya wanafunzi katika wilaya ambazo hutumia WSF kuliko katika wilaya zisizo za WSF katika jimbo moja. Hata hivyo, hakuna ushahidi kwamba WSF ilihusishwa na alama bora za mtihani kwa wanafunzi weusi au Wahispania. Katika 2020, NCER ilifadhili utafiti wa ufanisi ulioongozwa na Dk Sean Tanner katika WestEd kutathmini athari za kubadilika kwa fedha katika mapato ya fidia ya Kichwa cha I juu ya mafanikio ya mwanafunzi, maendeleo ya darasa, na kukamilika kwa darasa. Uwezo wa kifedha ni sera ambayo inaruhusu shule kutumia mapato ya Kichwa cha 1 katika shule nzima badala ya huduma ambazo zinalenga hasa wanafunzi walio hatarini. Matokeo ya utafiti huu yanaweza kuelekeza maamuzi kuhusu kiwango cha uhuru shule zinapaswa kuwa juu ya jinsi ya kutumia kichwa I fedha za fidia ili kuongeza mafanikio ya wanafunzi wa chini ya utendaji. Ingawa miradi ya juu ni mchango muhimu katika uwanja huu, utafiti wa ziada unahitajika ili kushughulikia mapungufu katika uelewa wetu wa jinsi fedha za elimu zinatumiwa na jinsi dola zinaweza kuongezeka ili kukuza matokeo mazuri ya wanafunzi. Kwa mfano, utafiti juu ya matumizi ya elimu ya pekee unahitajika sana. Takwimu za kitaifa juu ya matumizi ya elimu maalum ni zaidi ya miaka 20 na ni ya zamani kuliko mabadiliko mengi muhimu kwa njia ambayo wanafunzi wenye ulemavu wanaelimishwa, pamoja na kuongezeka kwa madarasa ya ujumuishaji na mifumo ya msaada ya ngazi nyingi. Utafiti mpya unaofadhiliwa na juhudi za kukusanya data zinazofuata zinaweza kutoa ufahamu wa jinsi shule na wilaya zinatumia pesa na pia fursa za utafiti wa ziada: - Katika 2020, NCER ilimpa Dk. "Mfano wa mpango huo ni ""Kila Mwanafunzi Anafanikiwa"" (ESSA) ambayo inatoa sheria ya kila shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule ya shule." Kituo cha Taifa cha Takwimu za Elimu (NCES) kina mpango wa marekebisho kadhaa kwa Uchunguzi wa Mwaka wa Fedha za Mfumo wa Shule. Mabadiliko hayo yatatia ndani kuongeza vipengele vipya vya matumizi ya elimu maalum, kama vile matumizi ya mafunzo, usafiri, huduma za msaada, na wafanyakazi wa mafunzo, pamoja na matumizi ya jumla ya elimu maalum. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika taarifa ya sasa, ""NCES pia inapanga kuongeza vigezo vipya vya mapato na matumizi katika uchunguzi wa kifedha wa elimu ya umma ya kitaifa kuhusiana na Sheria ya Msaada wa Coronavirus, Msaada, na Usalama wa Kiuchumi (CARES).""" - Kituo cha Taifa cha Tathmini ya Elimu cha Utafiti wa Matumizi ya Wilaya na Shule ya Fedha za Elimu za Shirikisho itachunguza jinsi fedha - na kubadilika - kutoka kwa programu tano kuu za elimu za shirikisho hutumiwa kusaidia wanafunzi. Kuelewa jinsi ugawaji wa rasilimali unavyoathiri matokeo itakuwa muhimu zaidi katika miaka ijayo wakati mazingira ya elimu yanashindana na athari za kifedha za janga hilo. Kupitia utafiti ambao NCER na NCSER hufadhili (kuchambua data zilizopo na au kukusanya data ya msingi) na juhudi za ukusanyaji wa data katika NCES, IES inatarajia kuchangia uelewa bora wa fedha za elimu na kuelekeza maamuzi ya vitendo katika eneo hili. Bennett Lunn (Bennett Lunn@ed.gov), Mshirika wa Truman-Albright, NCER na Kituo cha Kitaifa cha Utafiti wa Elimu Maalum (NCSER), na Katie Taylor (Katherine Taylor@ed.gov), afisa wa programu, NCSER.