Synopses & Reviews
School Finance: Achieving High Standards with Equity and Efficiency explores traditional economic and political models and contemporary issues within the current social, political and economic context. It enables readers to see the political and judicial forces at work in shaping school finance policy. It also provides the reader with tools drawn from economics to analyze the impacts of those policies in terms of equity, adequacy, efficiency, and liberty. Readers examine the financial implications of systemic reform, including centralized goal setting and accountability via standards, curricula and testing; decentralized reforms via school-site decision making; and family choice of schooling through charter schools and vouchers for low-income families. School finance experts, political analysts, school administrators.
Table of Contents
I. ESTABLISHING A CONTEXT FOR STUDYING SCHOOL FINANCE POLICY. 1. Education Decision Making in a Mixed Economy. 2. Values, Structure, and Allocation of Power: Implications for School Finance Policy.
3. School Governance and Finance in the United States.
II. ACQUIRING RESOURCES FOR SCHOOLS. 4. Principles of Taxation.
5. Revenue Sources for Federal and State Governments.
6. The Property Tax in Support of Schools.
7. Expanding School Resources: Through User Fees, Cash Flow Management, Capital Outlay, and Partnerships.
III. ALLOCATING STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS. 8. The Rationale for Intergovernmental Transfer Payments and Models for Distributing State Aid.
9. Adjusting State Aid for Differences in Need, Wealth, Costs, and Performance.
10. The Federal Role in School Finance.
IV. EVALUATING CURRENT SCHOOL FINANCE POLICIES. 11. Judicial Reviews of School Finance Policy within Evolving Standards of Equality, Efficiency, and Adequacy.
12. Using Equity and Fraternity Standards.
13. Using Efficiency, Adequacy, and Economic Growth Standards.
V. REFORMING THE GOVERNANCE, FINANCE, AND DELIVERY OF SCHOOLING. 14. School-Based Decision Making: Provider Sovereignty.
15. Family Choice of Schooling: Consumer Sovereignty.
16. Reforms to Improve Teacher Quality and Remuneration.
17. Integrating Educational Technology into Instructional Systems.
VI. CHARTING NEW DIRECTIONS IN SCHOOL FINANCE POLICY. 18. Implications of Educational Restructuring for School Finance Policy.