Does More Money Matter in Education

One of the hottest debates  in education policy has been the matter of money. Does giving more money to low performing schools improve performance?

For a long time, researchers said no. Research by Eric Hanushek and others pointed to no improvement in test scores for poor schools that received more state education funds.

The Washington Post reports on a new study says that while there may not be immediate test results from added funding, there were long term benefits. “A new study on those who went to school during the school-finance cases a few decades ago found that those who attended districts that were affected by the rulings were more likely to stay in school through high school and college and are making more money today.”

However the authors  of the study said that how the money is spent makes a big difference. They found that when the greatest impact was found when funding was used to raise teachers’ salaries, reduce class sizes or lengthen the school year.

Tangent — Meanwhile, I’m working on something on the Common Core this morning. I just  want to throw out a link to an excellent article in Mother Jones on the politics of the Common Core.