Professional Documents
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skewed results in education. The Supreme Court has ruled on multiple occasions that all students should
have the right for equal education, but this remains a problem. Under the 14th Amendment, no child
can be denied equal access to schooling, yet it still occurs every day in hundreds of schools. Schools
across the nation receive unequal amounts of funding which shows in resources provided to students as
well as individual achievements and success among students. This also shows in graduation rates among
lower income districts. Underfunding shows itself in larger than normal class sizes, rundown buildings,
the lack of programs, and the lack of resources such as computers and even textbooks (Strauss). Linda
Darling-Hammond dives into different cases brought to the court where underfunding is the issue at
hand. She states in her book, The Flat World and Education,
…plaintiff school districts… low-income students… have had lower levels of overall resources,
lower teachers’ salaries, and lower levels of educator qualifications than other districts, as well
Here, one can see the direct correlation of funding and the lack thereof to that of the quality of the
Many challenge the problem, and courts consistently agree that higher inputs result in higher
outputs, yet there hasn’t been much put into place to actually solve the problem of making sure that all
schools are provided with adequate funding. It has shown in studies that districts who pursue education
reform and the equalization of funding get better results in the long run than those who do nothing
Receiving better funding for schools nationwide is something that needs to be addressed, for it
affects the future adults and leaders of the United States of America. Budget cuts in schools and unequal
opportunities ruin the chances to make higher achieving adults once students are finished with school.
Instead of accepting cuts and abiding by the rules put in place, the nation needs to push for reform,
fighting for the equalization of funding and resources. Schools should be given the opportunities to
better themselves with higher educated teachers, technology in the classrooms, textbooks, smaller class
sizes so that each student’s needs can be met, and access to more programs. All of these things have an
undeviating relationship to the amount of money provided to each state, district, and school. By
pursuing reform, one pursues a better education and more opportunities for students. Schools produce
tomorrow’s adults, but with the problems of funding clouding the education system, the nation risks the
Biddle, Bruce J, and David C Berliner. “A Research Synthesis / Unequal School Funding in the United
leadership/may02/vol59/num08/Unequal-School-Funding-in-the-United-States.aspx. Accessed 6
February 2018.
Darling-Hammond, Linda. The Flat World and Education. Teachers College Press, 2010.
Strauss, Valerie. “How grossly underfunded are public schools?” The Washington Post, The Washington