Educational Foundations
Chapter 6: Governance and Finance of U.S. Schools
Outline: pp. (172-208)
Becoming A Teacher
A. Who is involved in struggle to CONTROL schools? Ten Groups:
1. Parents: concerned about local school quality that affects own children
2. Students: interested in own ability to expression, dress, behavior, curriculum
3. Teachers: role in school reform, working conditions, terms of employment
4. Administrators: provide leadership, shared governance, quality programs
5. Taxpayers: Financial concern=how much will this cost “me” on a local, state and federal basis; equity issues
6. Federal/State/Local Authorities: court orders, legislative mandates, imposed guidelines
7. Ethnic and racial Groups: equal educational opportunity, certification, employment, evaluation
8. Educational Theorists/Researchers: using theory/research to improve schools
9. Corporate Sector: want “good” employees
10. Special Interest Groups-educational reforms that reflect particular religious, philosophical, and economic points-of-view
B. Role of Local Community in Schools
1. Local School District
a. number of buildings
b. configuration of building
c. organization of buildings
d. number of students, faculty, staff: how many, who, what do they do
2. Local School Board: legally responsible as the state agent for:
a. approving/hiring faculty and staff
b. developing organizational and educational policies
c. determining procedures for evaluation of programs and personnel
d. elected (usually); staggered terms; “paid?”
3. Superintendent of Schools: chief administrator of the district: employee of the district with broad powers granted by the local board
4. Parents
a. school advisory and site-based teams; PTA/PTO
b. elect school board members
5. School Restructuring: Who manages/governs. Most effective schools:
a. increase teachers’ influence over policy and practice
b. collaborative work teams
c. staff development
d. deregulation providing for autonomous schools
e. small school size
f. broad parental involvement
*School-Based Management (SBM) has the above characteristics
C. Power of State Government:
1. Legislature: Responsibility to establish and maintain schools/policies
10th Amendment to U.S. Constitution allows states to:
a) levy taxes (what is main source of state revenue?)
b) determine state aid (formula) to schools-how much money schools receive
c) set curriculum
d) approve textbooks (only some states)
e) set minimum standards for teacher certification
f) standards for accrediting schools
g) pass legislation to properly maintain and support schools
1) how state board of education is selected/responsibilities
2) how chief state school officer (director of DE) is selected/duties
3) how DE will function
4) configuration of local/regional districts
5) how higher ed will be organized and financed
6) how local school boards are selected/powers
7) how taxes will be used
8) curriculum
9) length of school day/year
10)how many years of compulsory education required (Iowa?)
11)community colleges/technical schools existence
12)pupil attendance
13)teacher certification
14)teacher tenure/retirement
15)collective bargaining
2. Courts: NOT to make laws but to rule on reasonableness of laws that apply to specific educational situations
3. Governor: responsibilities vary greatly from state-to-state
Iowa: Appoint state board of education members, appoint chief state school officer, submit budgets to legislature (Iowa)
4. State Board of Education: highest educational agency in the state
· Two boards in Iowa:
1) Board of Regents (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI)
2) Board of Education (K-14); Iowa: 9, appointed by the governor
5. State Department of Education (DE): implements board policy
· ESEA 1965- mandated that monies received from federal government BE APPROVED first by state departments
· Iowa: provides over 50% funding to local school districts
6. Chief State School Officer: chief administrator of DE
EITHER: a) appointed by board of education, b) chosen by governor, c) elected
· Iowa: appointed by governor
D. Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA):
1. Made up of numerous school districts to receive support services not feasible for individual districts
2. Provides assistance for: a) staff development, b) curriculum development, c) instructional media, program evaluation
· Iowa: Area Education Agencies (AEAs) (15) (overhead)
Three areas: a) special education, b) educational services,
b) educational media
Charged with facilitating building improvement plans
E. Federal Government (judicial, legislative, executive branches)
1. FUNDING: crisis situations: Sputnik, War on Poverty, Nation at Risk, etc.; GI Bill; compensatory education/entitlements
2. Influence education in four ways:
· Exert moral suasion (push beliefs)
· Provide categorical aid, i.e. Title I, etc.
· Regulate = withhold funding if system doesn’t follow law
· Fund educational research related to federal educational goals
3. Impact of Presidential Policies
4. U.S. Department of Education
F. Financing Schools
1. LOCAL SUPPORT: Property Taxes, based on value of property in the local school district
2. *STATE SUPPORT = STATE AID: Sales Taxes and Income Taxes
3. FEDERAL SUPPORT: a) categorical/program funding, b) block grants, c) entitlements = monies to meet needs of special student populations, ex. 94-142, ESEA 1965.
G. Trends in Funding
1. Tax Reform and Redistricting
a. full-funding programs: state sets the same per-pupil expenditure
b. level for all schools/districts
c. redistricting
2. Vertical Equity = allocating funds according to legitimate educational needs (schools with more needy students get more funding), categorical aid is funding for special needs
3. School Choice
4. Voucher Systems = give money to educate their children directly to
parents in form of vouchers
5. Corporate-Education Partnerships
H. Privatization
· Charter Schools: (see Web Page) www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/asis/chart/doc/ipcs
· For-Profit schools: Edison Schools, EAI