School Finance Redesign Project

About

The School Finance Redesign Project (SFRP) encompasses research, policy analysis, and public engagement activities that examine how K-12 finance can be redesigned to better support student performance. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, SFRP addresses the question, "How can resources help schools achieve the higher levels of student performance that state and national education standards now demand?"

In formulating our plans, SFRP Director Jacob Adams reasoned that the core of the school finance problem was ensuring that public funds were focused on student learning. Questions about how much more to spend can be answered only when it is clear that available funds are being used to promote student learning. If significant amounts of public funds are used unnecessarily for other purposes then no one can say whether existing spending is enough or more is absolutely necessary. Moreover, if inefficient use of funds is universal, it will not be possible to identify “success,” that is, examples from which to learn how much must be spent and in what manner.

Thus, SFRP was designed to address five questions:

• Are public funds now available for K-12 education focused on student learning? If not, what stands in the way?
• Are there good ideas about potentially more focused and effective uses of funds to promote student learning?
• Are there good ideas about better ways to spend money to attract and reward quality educators?
• Do we know enough now to say exactly how much money is needed to bring all children up to standards and to say how money should be spent?
• What can policymakers do to create a situation in which the right amount is spent and funds are all used effectively for student learning?

To address these questions, the project has studied governmental policies, finance structures, and professional practices; assessed policy options for finance redesign; and developed decisionmaking tools for policymakers and educators.