New Brief: Comparative Analysis of School Funding
In a new special report, we look at school funding in Washington — level of funding, sources of funding, and how that funding compares to other states. As it turns out, Washington’s schools are funded heavily from state sources: Washington ranks 11th nationally in state revenues per student, but it ranks 40th in revenues from […]
January 16 , 2013 - Emily Makings
Options for basic education spending
In a blog post yesterday, state Rep. Ross Hunter provides a good overview of the education funding problem in Washington. He notes the report of the Joint Task Force on Education Funding (JTFEF), which was released December 31, 2012. Created by House Bill 2824 last year, the task force was charged with “developing a proposal […]
January 14 , 2013 - Emily Makings
The Effectiveness of Higher School Spending and Class Size Reductions
One of the main issues to be tackled this legislative session is education funding. Gov. Gregoire’s 2013-15 budget proposal calls for a “$1 billion down payment on the $3.4 billion in new K-12 spending the state has committed to over the next six years.” Additionally, the budget proposal would reduce K-2 class sizes in high […]
December 18 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Talent shortage a bigger threat to software industry than the fiscal cliff?
Here in Microsoft’s backyard, we’ve heard this story for a while. Today Investors Business Daily leads with the tale of the tech talent shortage. The big challenge facing the U.S. software industry might not be the economy, looming fiscal cliff or growing competition. First things first — the companies are begging for qualified job candidates. […]
December 18 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Gov. Gregoire proposes new taxes in final budget release
Gov. Chris Gregoire offered her final biennial budget proposal this morning. In addition to required “current revenues” proposal – one that doesn’t rely on new taxes – she presents a plan to make the billion-dollar downpayment on the increased public school funding required by the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. From the governor’s press release: […]
November 19 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
From fiscal cliff to affordable care act, plenty of post-election unfinished business
Remember when elections settled things? OK, I don’t either. But there’s more than the usual clutter of unresolved issues on the agenda this year. The Los Angeles Times has a nice roundup of the states of health care, as more Republican governors opt not to set up the state exchanges prescribed by the Affordable Care […]
November 01 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Charter Schools and Low-Performing Students
In an October 2012 preliminary working paper, Ron Zimmer of Vanderbilt and Cassandra Guarino of Indiana University consider whether public charter schools “push out” low-performing students. The idea is that charter schools might try to improve their performance by “educating fewer challenging students.” But, as the authors say, “the claim of ‘pushing out’ low-achieving students […]
October 19 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Charter Schools: Flexibility, Variety, Accountability
This week Partnership for Learning, along with UW’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, released “Examining Charters: How public charter schools can work in Washington state.” The report should be useful for voters as they decide whether to approve Initiative 1240, which would allow a limited number of public charter schools in Washington. (Our policy brief […]
October 03 , 2012 - Emily Makings
New Brief: Initiative 1240: Improving Education Options with Charter Schools
Initiative 1240, if approved by voters, would allow 40 public charter schools over five years. Charter schools are noncontroversial nationally (41 states allow them), and they would provide parents and students in Washington an additional public school option. Our policy brief on I-1240 is available here.
September 06 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
How school funding affects state average scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress
In this post I present some charts relating education outcomes to per-student funding for public schools at the state level. The outcome measures I use are statewide average scores on various tests taken by students as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is a program of the U.S. Department of Education’s […]