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 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 10 th 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