For the past few years, the Shanker Institute has been collaborating with Bruce Baker and Mark Weber of Rutgers University to publish the School Finance Indicators Database (SFID), a collection of finance and resource allocation measures for policymakers, journalists, parents, and the public.
The State Indicators Database (SID), the primary product of the SFID, is freely available to the public, but it includes about 125 variables. So, even if you know exactly the types of measures you are looking for, compiling the data for a state or a group of states might present a challenge. While we have tried to make the data accessible for non-researchers, we realize that it can still be difficult for a lot of people.
We have therefore just published 51 state school finance profiles (with help from ASI fellow Lauren Schneider), which pull together a digestible amount of information into one place for each state (and D.C.). You can download the profiles individually or as a group.
As with our annual report, the profiles present SID data for three "core" measures, which together offer an effective overview of the fairness and sufficiency of each state's finance system:
- Effort: how much of a state’s total resources or capacity are spent directly on public K-12 education;
- Adequacy: whether states provide districts with resources sufficient to meet common outcome goals;
- Progressivity: whether states allocate more resources to districts serving larger proportions of disadvantaged students. CONTINUE READING: Shanker Blog: One Page Summaries of Your State's School Finance System | National Education Policy Center
