School Districts Shortchange Low-Income Schools: Report:

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School Districts Shortchange Low-Income Schools: Report

First Posted: 12/ 1/11 09:16 AM ET Updated: 12/ 1/11 10:34 AM ET

It's been long suspected that schools serving low-income students receive less money to pay their teachers than those in nearby affluent schools. Now there's data from the U.S. Department of Educationto back that claim up.

"The facts are out there like they've never been before," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncansaid on a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

And the spending disparity affects teacher quality: As veteran teachers move to more affluent schools that can pay them more, students in poorer schools are more frequently taught by unseasoned teacherswith little classroom experience.

In the the 13,000 districts surveyed, which encompass 82,000 of the nation's 100,000 schools,