School finance and educational equity

Recent studies show that increasing spending on K-12 schools leads to better opportunities and outcomes for students. In the United States, where students of different backgrounds have unequal opportunities, providing the most disadvantaged students with a larger share of resources may be necessary to close opportunity gaps. Indeed, some policies are designed to provide additional resources to students in need. However, whether these resources reach their intended beneficiaries is a different question, and data limitations have obscured the public’s view of how districts allocate resources to schools.  

On December 16, the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings will host a virtual event to examine equity in school finance. The event will feature findings from a new Brown Center report on funding inequities and the factors that shape them, as well as a panel discussion on how to use resources to improve student outcomes amid the negative effects of COVID-19 and the impending expiration of federal stimulus funds. 

Viewers can submit questions to panelists by registering to attend, emailing events@brookings.edu, or tweeting @BrookingsGov using the hashtag #SchoolFinance.