Misplaced Optimism and Weighted Funding

Author/s
Eric A. Hanushek
Published Date
28-Mar-12
Publication
Education Week
Details
31(26)
Pages
pp. 28,36
Type
Liberals and conservatives alike have made "weighted student funding" a core idea of their reform prescriptions. Both groups see such weighted funding as providing more dollars to the specific schools they tend to focus upon, and both see it as inspiring improved achievement through newfound political pressures. Unfortunately, both groups are very likely wrong. Schools will not improve until there are greater incentives for improving student achievement. Redistributing funds across schools or increasing the funding to schools by themselves will not magically put us on this path.