Equity and outcome gaps in Texas following House Bill 1 (2011)

Permanent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20316520
Title:
Equity and outcome gaps in Texas following House Bill 1 (2011)
Creator:
Reach, Jacob Pearson (Author)
Contributor:
Conn, Kelly (Advisor)
Unger, Christopher (Committee member)
Spinn, Craig (Committee member)
Language:
English
Publisher:
Boston, Massachusetts : Northeastern University, 2019
Date Accepted:
March 2019
Date Awarded:
March 2019
Type of resource:
Text
Genre:
Doctoral theses
Format:
electronic
Digital origin:
born digital
Abstract/Description:
The purpose of this study was to determine how equity changed following Texas House Bill 1 (2011) and whether the change in equity correlated with a change in standardized test scores. The major research question was to determine whether school funding correlates to changes with student outcomes in reading and math. Using the equity framework of school finance, this study looked at how horizontal equity and fiscal neutrality changed during an 8-year period from 2009 to 2016. The equity measures were then compared to reading and math scores on a nationally administrated standardized test for students in fourth grade. The study found that although equity and funding decreased immediately after changes in state law in 2011, per-pupil spending increased surpassing 2009 amounts and equity increased. Most of these increases came from an increased share of local funding through property taxes, which increased as property value across Texas also increased, despite decreased federal and state funding. Recommendations include continuing to research ways to measure changes of equity and compare those changes to student outcomes to better evaluate school finance systems. This study did not reveal a connection between equity and outcomes but provided greater understanding on how equity did change in Texas, which can help led to better policy decisions when developing state funding systems for public education in the future. Keywords: Equity, school finance, Texas House Bill 1 (2011), student outcomes.
Subjects and keywords:
Equity
School Finance
Student Outcomes
Texas House Bill 1 (2011)
Educational leadership
Education finance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17760/D20316520
Permanent URL:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20316520
Use and reproduction:
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