Green (Still) Follows White: A National Report on Inequitable Within-District Spending

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Allocation Disparities and Their Role in Shaping Educational Outcomes (Table 12)

Abstract

ESSA requires that school report cards include “the per-pupil expenditures of Federal, State, and local funds . . . disaggregated by source of funds, for each LEA and each school in the State for the preceding fiscal year.” This provision allows us to look at disparities in spending across schools rather than across districts and states. This paper will consider spending levels and gaps across student populations (by race/ethnicity as well as special populations) relative to some of the services and experiences those students enjoy. Previous work has found that approximately 40% of students from marginalized and/or minoritized backgrounds attend school in a district where per pupil expenditures are regressive for their demographic.

Authors

• Sarah E. LaCour, National Center for Youth Law

• Daniel Losen, National Center for Youth Law