School Funding & Educational Achievement

Much has been written about the gap in spending between low income and upper income school districts on measures like per-pupil funding. School districts in wealthy suburbs often outspend inner city school systems at ratios from 1.5:1 to 2:1 (Slavin, 1998, p. 7). Vast discrepancies are even apparent within school districts. In New York City per-pupil spending was $5,590 compared with $11,370 in wealthier Manhasset (Kozol, 1991, p. 120). Low income schools also have higher needs such as special education classes and security measures. Critics of equalized funding for schools contend that increased spending does not necessarily translate into higher educational achievement, and to some extent this is true. However, the gaps in school spending exacerbate already unacceptably wide differences in achievement based on social class.

Parental involvement is an important component of social inequity in schools. Much of school funding is based on property tax revenue. Parents, in their role as taxpayers, have a large say in how much their communities spend on schools: "it is hardly naive to hypothesize that the reason suburbanites tax themselves so readily for their

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educational experience is as rewarding for the staff as for the pupils. As the Clarkton principal notes, "I've been in education for nineteen years, and these last two years with the School of Discovery have been by far the most exciting" (Collins, 1996, p. 132). Social inequality is perpetuated by the realities of teaching at schools where the expectations for student achievement is low. Many new teachers at low income schools begin their careers with high hopes but soon find their enthusiasm crushed by obstacles to teaching excellence. Teachers in such schools complain about the lack of professional support, the inadequacy of necessities such as working copy machines, and the use of greater amounts of noninstructional time spent in supervising (Reinstein, 1998, p. 29). It is not surprising that, given a choice, exceptional teachers choose employment in wealthy school districts where their talents can be put to optimum use. Society must reexamine its values regarding education funding because increased financing results in better schools. Schools offer differing levels of resources to students based on income. Although gaps in educational achievement will always exist between the children of the wealthy and the child
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2720
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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