Instructional expenditures in Illinois high school districts and the relationship to student achievement during NCLB

Krause, Jr., Daniel D.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/97372 Copy

Description

Title

Instructional expenditures in Illinois high school districts and the relationship to student achievement during NCLB

Author(s)

Krause, Jr., Daniel D.

Issue Date

2017-04-17

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Alexander, Kern

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Alexander, Kern

Committee Member(s)

• Dressman, Mark
• Herrmann, Mary
• Welton, Anjalé

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Student achievement
• Educational spending
• Per pupil expenditures

Abstract

A democratic society is dependent on a quality public education system (Alexander & Alexander, 2011). The disparity in expenditures between school districts in Illinois has fueled political and public debate related to the equitable, adequate, and efficient access to resources in order to educate students. Recent legislation has been introduced to reallocate state provided funds from districts with large property tax wealth as defined by their Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) to districts with less property tax wealth. In contemplating this change, it is imperative that the relationship of school expenditures to student achievement be considered given the wide range of per pupil expenditures in high schools and academic achievement that exists throughout the state. This study examined if a relationship existed between specific school budget categories related to per pupil expenditures and achievement for all Illinois high school districts as indicated on the Illinois School Report Card in the first and final year of NCLB. Achievement was measured by average ACT score. A significant relationship between student achievement and educational resources was observed, as well as for students identified as low-income. The linkage between student achievement, property values, and educational resources in Illinois was also confirmed. Unique to this study was the addition of the Gini Coefficient analysis to determine if the wealth of school districts was equitably distributed throughout the 96 school districts. The findings indicating the distribution of wealth is not equitable, confirming the need for a school funding structure that does not rely upon property wealth. The findings of this study also suggest school finance policies in Illinois have continued to advantage some districts while disadvantaging others. Specifically, those advantages and disadvantages continue to impact those students who are economically disadvantaged the most.

Graduation Semester

2017-05

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97372

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Daniel Krause, Jr.

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