Organizing and Paying for American Education

Chapter 5

Learning Outcomes

Describe the organizational structure of schools, districts, and the authority relationships among schools, states, and the federal government

Analyze arguments about School Choice Describe the relationship and roles of teachers and

principals Identify key sources of school funding and school

finance Compare U.S. school funding with other countries

Policy to Practice Continuum

Federal to State to Intermediate to District to School to Classroom

U.S. Dept. of Ed. To State Dept. of Ed. To District To School To Classroom

Line Relationship…one person has authority over another

Staff Relationship…no formal supervisory authority of one person over the other

Organization of Schools “The basic building block

of the U.S. education system is the school.”

Schools largely organized in the same way in each state…pretty much the same world wide

Physical organization…egg crate “The organization of the school parallels the

activities of the people who use it.” so what information do we get from that?

Roles and Responsibilities of Principals The principal is in charge of the school…

instructional leadership, community relations, staff, teacher selection and evaluation, pupil personnel, building and grounds, budgets, administration of personnel, provisions of contracts, attendance, and business management

Line relationship with district superintendent Site based decision making (SBDM)

Teachers

Single largest group of adults in the schools Typical elementary school has 15-35

teachers, large high school more than 100 Unless special mechanisms are used, such

as team leaders or department chairs, individual teachers easily become isolated from the school as a whole

Organization of the School District The school district is governed by the school

board, and its day to day operations are led by the superintendent.

Local Board of Education…legal authority to run local school systems, given through state statutes (92% of school boards are elected by popular vote, mostly in nonpartisan elections) usually teachers can’t be board members in the districts in which they teach

Powers and Duties of School Boards

Obtain revenue, maintain schools, purchase sites and build buildings, purchase materials and supplies, organize and provide programs of study, employ necessary workers and regulate their services, admit and assign pupils to schools and control their conduct

Mandatory duties…must be accomplished Discretionary duties…may be done by the designated

body or delegated to another

Organization of Education at the State Level As a consequence of the 10th amendment to the

Constitution, states are the governmental units charged with the responsibility for education

State legislatures grant powers to state boards of education, state departments of education, chief state school officers, and local boards of education

State Boards of Education

Both regulatory and advisory Regulatory…functions for which the state

board has the authority to establish rules and regulations that limit and permit action

Advisory…functions and areas in which the state board can only offer suggestions and indicate preference for action

State Departments of Education The state government carries on its activities

in education through the state department of education, directed by the chief state school officer…operational, regulatory, service, developmental, and public support and cooperation activities

State legislatures are generally responsible for creating, operating, managing, and maintaining state school systems

Federal government’s role in education Leadership…usually in

times of crisis historically Widest sweeping efforts

recently are No Child Left Behind legislation (ESEA reauthorization)

Highly qualified teachers, adequate yearly progress, schools in need of improvement

School Choice: Increasing Options along with Uncertain Outcomes Magnet schools Charter schools Year-round schools Vouchers Private, parochial, and independent schools,

home schooling

Politics in Education

The increasing volatility of election politics

Politics at the school district level School board politics The superintendent’s politics School-based politics

Financing Schools: the move from equity to adequacy

Equity…provision of the same amount of funding to all schools or students

Adequacy…provision of sufficient funds so that all students can achieve

Property taxes and local revenue…property taxes based on the value of real estate and personal property

Progressive tax is scaled to the ability of the taxpayer to pay…regressive tax affects low-income groups disproportionately

State Sources of Revenue and Aid Sales and Income taxes Gambling: an increasing

source of revenue Entrepreneurial

efforts: advertising, student fees, fund-raising schemes

State Aid…61.7% to instruction, 34% to support services, 4.2% to noninstruction

Federal Aid

Accountability: teacher accountability, school and school district accountability

Accountability…a school’s obligation to take responsibility for what students learn

Issues…increasing enrollments along with taxpayer revolts