Toolkit: Advancing Equitable School Funding under ESSA

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states new financial transparency tools to better understand and become leaders for resource equity, but only if they are used well. These resources will help state leaders understand the opportunity and challenges they will face as they implement these new rules. Contact us with any questions.

Advancing Equitable School Funding: An Overview

This presentation was originally given by Karen Hawley Miles as part of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) Legislative Conference on March 6, 2018, in partnership with Ary Amerikaner of The Education Trust.

Advancing Equitable School Funding: Additional Materials

Defining the Issue

• What is Resource Equity?
  Do school systems allocate and use resources equitably? In our new working paper, “What is Resource Equity?” we explore nine dimensions of equity - moving beyond just funding levels - that shape whether all students can reach empowering, college-and-career-ready learning outcomes
• Is School Funding Fair?
  An Education Week roundtable debate including "A Little Transparency Goes a Long Way. Maybe." by Karen Hawley Miles and Jonathan Travers.

Lessons from Districts

• Informing Equity: Student Need, Spending, and Resource Use in Oakland's Public Schools
  A report by ERS and The Oakland Achieves Partnership.
• How Three Districts Are Confronting the "Triple Squeeze"
  A blog by Karen Hawley Miles. The “triple squeeze” is a set of challenges school systems inherited and that require sustained, strategic action and political will to address. See how leaders in Baltimore, Boston, and Oakland are addressing these challenges.

Financial Transparency Under ESSA

• From Financial Transparency to Equity, Part 1: Using ESSA to Advance Equity and Excellence
  A publication by ERS and Chiefs for Change
• ESSA's New Fiscal Reporting Requirements
  A factsheet from The Education Trust for state leaders and advocates.
• Leverage Resource Allocation Reviews to Support Local Decision Making
  The Every Student Succeeds Act mandates that states “periodically review resource allocation to support school improvement” in districts with concentrations of schools identified for intervention. Learn how to make the most of resource allocation reviews for school improvement in this article by Stephen Frank and originally published on the PIE Network's Resources & News page.
• School-Level Reporting Self-Assessment & Diagnostic Tool (Excel file)
  A tool to help you assess the readiness of your current school-level reporting. Get help attributing the 30-55 percent of your resources typically reported centrally in a meaningful way so the dollars reported at each school reflect what students are experiencing. This Excel tool is funded by the State Support Network.