California School Finance Bibliography

Bibliography

The following articles and reports provide background and insight into school finance theory, policy, and practice. Along with the EdSource publications listed, the other sources have been selected for their relevance to California issues and the credibility of their authors. To nominate additional articles or research for inclusion in this section, please e-mail us.

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Betts, Julian, Kim Rueben, and Anne Danenberg. Equal Resources, Equal Outcomes? The Distribution of School Resources and Student Achievement in California. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California. (February 2000)
This report focuses on three questions about resources in California's K–12 schools: 1) How do resources vary among schools? 2) Do schools serving relatively disadvantaged populations tend to receive fewer resources? 3) Do existing inequalities in school resources contribute to unequal student outcomes? Download from the PPIC website.

Brewer, Dominic and Joanna Smith. Educational Governance in California. Stanford, CA: Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice (IREPP). "Getting Down to Facts" project. (March 2007)
This study focuses on educational governance in California and describes how that structure affects decision making. Along with an exhaustive examination of state policy, the study uses analytic frameworks to describe California’s education governance system, evaluate the system's effectiveness, and provide suggestions for how to improve the system. (Keywords: Getting Down to Facts, IREPP)

Brunner, Eric J. Financing School Facilities in California. Stanford, CA: Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice (IREPP). "Getting Down to Facts" project. (March 2007)
This study focuses on California’s system of school facility finance. It also examines the state’s investment over time and trends in the passage of local school bands. It also provides an analysis of the relationship between the amount of facility funds available to school districts and various district characteristics.(Keywords: Getting Down to Facts, IREPP)

Carroll, Stephen J., et al. California's K-12 Public Schools: How are they doing? Rand Corporation. (2005)
This report describes the condition and performance of California's K–12 public schools including the student population, the resources provided, and the schools’ outcomes. The report analyzes trends within the state and compares California to other states and to the nation as a whole. Download free from the RAND website.

Chambers, Jay, Jesse Levin, and Danielle DeLancey. Efficiency and Adequacy in California School Finance: A Professional Judgment Approach. Stanford, CA: Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice (IREPP). "Getting Down to Facts" project. (March 2007)
This report provides results of a “professional judgment” panel study that asked groups of educators about the resources they would need to provide an education to California students so that they could meet the state's academic standards. It then estimates the cost of providing those resources to districts throughout California.(Keywords: Getting Down to Facts, IREPP)

Committee for Economic Development. Investing in Learning: School Funding Policies to Foster High Performance. (2004)
This report on public school financing includes business-community recommendations on allocating resources more effectively within districts and schools; aligning teacher pay with labor markets; creating incentives for improved teacher and school performance, and linking school funding to the costs of meeting education standards. Download summary or full report from the CED website.

Darling-Hammond, Linda and Stelios Orphanos. Leadership Development in California. Stanford, CA: Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice (IREPP). "Getting Down to Facts" project. (March 2007)
The authors draw from a recent national study of principal development programs to identify the components of effective training for school leaders and compare that to what is happening in California. Based on this work, they recommend ways the state's approach to leadership development can be improved.(Keywords: Getting Down to Facts, IREPP)

Downes, Thomas. Do Nonschool Resources Substitute for School Resources? A Review of the Evidence. Stanford, CA: Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice (IREPP). "Getting Down to Facts" project. (March 2007)
California’s school finance system places constraints on local and state governments’ ability to raise revenue for education. This paper explores what impact school-finance reforms in the state have had on spending for nonschool services.(Keywords: Getting Down to Facts, IREPP)

Duncombe, William and John Yinger. Understanding the Incentives in California’s Education Finance System. Stanford, CA: Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice (IREPP). "Getting Down to Facts" project. (March 2007)
This study compares California's educational finance system to those in other states. It then applies an econometric analysis to explore the incentives California’s unique education finance system creates for parents, voters, and school officials, and estimate the extent to which these incentives influence education spending and student performance.(Keywords: Getting Down to Facts, IREPP)

EdSource. Selected Readings on California School Finance. (December 2005)
This volume contains the most popular EdSource publications related to school finance and school district budgeting. It is updated annually to include the most recent information available. Available for purchase on EdSource Online.

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