The Alchemy of ‘Costing Out’ an Adequate Education

While people of diverse perspectives have offered reform plans
and solutions, a prevailing argument is that the schools lack sufficient resources
to support academic success, and a variety of parties have sued states to compel
them to provide greater funding for education. A key question in those
lawsuits-"What will it cost to improve student achievement?"-has led
courts and legislatures to seek out a scientific determination of the amount of
spending required by schools. And there has been no shortage of consultants
offering to provide one.