In the current fiscal climate and anticipated state budget shortfall, it is more critical than ever that Texas policymakers have accurate information about public school expenditures, understand where the money is actually spent, analyze major trends, and know the corresponding results in student achievement.
Helping Parents Pay for Education Examining Education Tax Credits and Deductions By Brooke Dollens Terry, Paige Perez, and Brittany Wagner
Education tax credit and tax deduction programs help parents afford the education option of their choice (public, private, or homeschool). This paper explains how education tax credits and deductions work, examines constitutional issues, provides state case studies of other successful programs, and recommends that Texas lawmakers create an education tax credit scholarship program.
Charter Schools 101 Educating the Public on Charter Schools By Brooke Dollens Terry
A national poll found that only 20 percent of Americans know that a charter school is a public school. For this reason, the Texas Public Policy Foundation has focused on educating policymakers and the general public about these free, innovative public schools that are open to all students and provide greater choice and flexibility in education.
January 19, 2010
Paying for Results PowerPoint Presentation by Brooke Dollens Terry By Brooke Dollens Terry
Presentation to California school board members about teacher merit pay programs in Texas and specific information about Texas’ largest school district, Houston ISD.
For the 2008-09 school year, 40,813 Texas school children were on waiting lists to be accepted into charter schools. This figure is more than double last year's total and demonstrates strong demand for charter schools in Texas.
For the 2008-09 school year, 40,813 Texas school children were on waiting lists to be accepted into charter schools. This figure is more than double last year's total and demonstrates strong demand for charter schools in Texas.
Press conference participants include:
Host, Texas Public Policy Foundation Vice President of Policy and Communication, Justin Keener
Texas Public Policy Foundation Center for Education Policy Senior Analyst, Brooke Terry
Texas State Senator, The Honorable Dan Patrick
Charter school parent, Lupe Arenivar
Chief Academic Officer, Harmony School Systems, Kadir Almus
Executive Director of the Texas Charter School Association, David Dunn
A review of the latest version of the Texas social studies curriculum finds that some important historical figures, holidays, and events have been put back in. Yet, the U.S. History and U.S. Government curriculum still appears to be dismissive of the contributions from the private sector and seems to have an ideological bias in favor of a more liberal governing philosophy.
The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers, yet many education policies deter bright individuals from pursuing teaching and encourage the best teachers to leave the classroom. This paper examines the issue of teacher quality and the effect of various policies on students.
As Texas’ non-English speaking population continues to increase, policymakers need to examine whether Texas’ bilingual education programs are the most effective way to teach non-English speaking students English.
June 24, 2009
Education Policy 81st Legislative Session in Review By Brooke Dollens Terry
A review of the 81st Texas Legislature’s work on school choice, teacher compensation and certification, school accountability, financial transparency, and preschool in Texas.
House Bill 130, which represents a massive expansion of pre-kindergarten programs statewide, is on the House calendar and could be debated later today.
This letter highlights the case that Texas’ teacher incentive pay programs need to be restored in order to avoid negative unintended consequences to existing programs. These concerns are shared by business groups, education reform organizations, school districts, and grassroots organizations.
Too many students with special needs are not getting their needs met in Texas public schools. Research on the success of the McKay scholarship program in Florida suggests Texas follow the lead of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Utah and provide scholarships to students with special needs so they can attend the school of their choice.
This testimony shares concerns over changes to the social studies curriculum or TEKS. Upon review of these revisions, it is apparent that important pieces of history are being removed or changed, and there are repeated examples of bias against individualism, the free enterprise system, and personal responsibility.
This letter to the Senate and House Education Committee chairs expresses recommendations on school sanctions for public school accountability system changes.
This testimony expresses serious concerns on public school accountability changes shared by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Texas Association of Business, the Texas Institute for Education Reform, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, and Education Trust-Southwest.
This letter explains concerns shared by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Eagle Forum, Texas Institute of Education Reform, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and Americans for Prosperity-Texas on specific pre-k legislation.
March 09, 2009
A Charter School Q&A Examining Charter Schools in Texas and the Nation By Brooke Dollens Terry
Many Americans are either uninformed or misinformed about charter schools. This Q&A gives a comprehensive look at charter schools from both a national and Texas perspective.
Texas recently hit the cap on open-enrollment charter schools preventing the opening of many new charter schools to serve the nearly 17,000 students on a waiting list. This brief examines the charter school cap policies of 40 states and the District of Columbia, and recommends that Texas eliminate or raise the cap.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently hosted a panel on charter schools entitled “Innovation, Educational Excellence, and the Role of Charters.” Panelists included Senator Florence Shapiro, Chair of the Senate Education Committee; Linda Bridges, President of the Texas Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers; Tom Torkelson; CEO and Founder of IDEA public schools; and Paul Vallas; Superintendent of the Louisiana Recovery School District. This document lists the main points of each panelist.
Many Texas school districts are choosing to create their own incentive pay programs at the local level. Initial studies find improved teacher morale, higher student test scores, higher state accountability rankings, and less teacher turnover as a result of Texas’ pay-for-performance programs.
January 26, 2009
School Choice 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Brooke Dollens Terry
Competition among schools and education models leads to real improvement in education. By allowing students to move to different schools, whether they are traditional public schools, private schools, or charter schools, there is a greater incentive for schools to serve the individual needs of students and to operate efficiently.
With thousands of students across the state choosing to attend a public charter school, demand is growing. Each student has their own story. Read how successful charter schools have changed lives.
Large numbers of public schools in Texas are not adequately preparing students for success in college or the workforce. The disconnect between high school preparation and college expectations costs students, parents, higher education institutions, and taxpayers.
Pre-k benefits generally fade out by the 3rd grade, particularly for non-at-risk children. If the goal is to increase kindergarten readiness, pre-k is already helping those children who may benefit from it. But if the goal is to improve graduation rates and academic achievement in the later grades, pre-k is not the solution for failing public schools.
October 17, 2008
The Horizon Program: A Model for Education Reform A Report on the 10-Year Horizon School Choice Program in the Edgewood School District in San Antonio, Texas By Robert Aguirre, Jessica Sanchez, and Brooke Dollens Terry
School choice among parents and students in the Edgewood school district led to improved student performance, fewer dropouts, higher teacher salaries, and increased economic development.
School board members and superintendents need to use the powerful incentive of money to drive changes in teacher behavior and performance that increase student learning, the
main goal of education.
September 29, 2008
Influential Issues Education By Brooke Dollens Terry and Michael Alexander
As more young Texans are failing to meet the standards that are needed to make it in the 21st Century, Texas needs to make bold choices and go against the failing status quo of more money and more of the same. This Influential Issues paper on education provides facts and recommendations for making the Lone Star State a true leader in education without bankrupting its citizens.
For other Influential Issues papers covering health care, immigration, the economy, and thinking economically click here.
Paying for Results Examining Incentive Pay in Texas Schools By Brooke Dollens Terry
Teacher incentive pay programs in Texas school districts have produced higher test scores, higher state accountability rankings, improved teacher morale, and less teacher turnover. This report (with generous support from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation) examines how incentive pay has been implemented in the Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Lamesa school districts; and provides recommendations for future implementation.
Students around the state are waiting in line to attend a public charter school as evidenced by nearly 17,000 students on a waiting list. Texas lawmakers can help these students attend a charter school by eliminating the legislative cap, lowering barriers to expansion, and reducing unnecessary regulations.
This paper explores the benefits that existing school choice situations—including private school choice, charter schools, and public school transfers—hold for students in public and private schools, parents, teachers, and taxpayers.
As Texas lawmakers contemplate expanding government early childhood programs, it is instructive to look at the effectiveness of current programs and whether parents prefer universal pre-k or choice on where and how to educate their four-year old child.
Over the course of our nation’s history, the structure of teacher compensation has varied and changed to fit the needs of the time. The current pay structure, introduced over 85 years ago, was designed for another era. If policymakers are serious about improving the quality of teachers in the classroom, they need to tie teacher pay to teacher quality.
This testimony was presented before the High School Success and Completion Initiative Council to address low graduation rates and school choice for high school dropouts.
A rising number of three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in taxpayer-funded pre-kindergarten in Texas. This report evaluates the costs and benefits of pre-k, and makes recommendations about the proper role of government in providing early childhood education.
Texas has a complex public school accountability system to evaluate schools and school districts. The system lacks rigor, is too complex, and does not align with the federal accountability system. To hold schools accountable, policymakers need to make significant changes to the state accountability system.
This report provides the major findings and recommendations from our math and science best practices research. For this research, we compiled a list of the highest performing Texas high schools in math and science, conducted a series of surveys, interviews, visits, and examinations of quantitative data, and then used this information to identify best practices in math and science.
For two years, researchers at the Foundation have examined the math and science skills deficit in Texas public schools and published several papers including a best practices research paper. This math and science reform agenda is a compilation of our findings and policy recommendations and can be used by state lawmakers, policymakers, superintendents, principals, and parents. School districts have the authority to implement many of the recommendations at the local level, without requiring legislative action.
October 31, 2007
Texas' Math and Science Crisis Declining Math and Science Skills Hurt Students and their Employability By Brooke Dollens Terry and Kalese Hammonds
The lack of adequate preparation in math and science makes it difficult for many Texas high school graduates to work in a math or science field and/or graduate from college with a math and science degree. Research finds students with advanced technical math and science skills have more earning power. This paper explores specialized math and science programs at magnet schools and their effect on improving math and science skills.
Texas schools continue to face a shortage of math and science teachers. This paper examines how state certification barriers and the pay system contribute to the shortage and provides recommendations on how Texas can attract the highest-caliber math and science teachers for Texas' students.
Too many high school graduates are not academically prepared for the rigors of college-level work. The need for remedial education in college has a negative cost to students, higher education institutions, taxpayers, and the economy. This paper examines the numbers and costs related to remedial education.
Texas has one of the largest and most flexible charter school programs in the country. However, recent pressure to both improve and constrain charters has led to an erosion of charter school flexibility through increased regulation.
A variety of school choice bills were filed during the 80th Legislature. This paper summarizes the bills, describes various types of school choice, and recommends policy changes that will increase options for more Texas students.
Significant changes have recently been made to the current testing system in Texas public high schools by eliminating the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests and replacing them with a series of end-of-course exams. Well-designed and rigorous end-of-course exams can be a better way to assess student knowledge and raise student achievement.
A review of the 80th Texas Legislature’s work on school choice, teacher quality and certification, testing and accountability, financial transparency, and pre-K in Texas.
Senate Bill 50 has the laudable goal of improving early childhood education in Texas. But the bill contains several provisions that would create or expand government programs without evidence of need. This brief evaluates the bill and recommends a few changes that could greatly improve Senate Bill 50.
School choice is a proven way to decrease dropout rates in public schools. Cutting the dropout rate in half in Texas could save more than 65,000 students each year. Policymakers owe it to Texas students to give them an opportunity to succeed through school choice.
This fact sheet details how Senate Bill 1643 would give school management the power to reward top-performing educators and dismiss those receiving an unsatisfactory appraisal for three consecutive years.
Brooke Dollens Terry, education policy analyst in the Foundation's Center for Education Policy, presented this testimony on HB 879 regarding before the House Education Committee.
Myths and misperceptions about incentive pay and the House's recent action to strip incentive programs from the budget threaten to drive bad public policy that will penalize the state's best teachers.
Brooke Dollens Terry, education policy analyst in the Foundation's Center for Education Policy, presented this testimony on SB 1643 regarding teacher quality before the Senate Education Committee.
One out of three Texas high school students fails to graduate within four years. This brief examines the dropout crisis and proposes school choice as a proven solution.
The Texas Legislature should not only consider what the public school accountability system of the future should look like, but give close examination to the history and current state of today's accountability system as well.
Since the start of the Horizon program nine years ago, Edgewood ISD test scores and graduation rates have increased and more than 90% of program participants have gone on to college. Public and private school students alike have thrived under school choice in San Antonio.
Assessing students with rigorous and well-designed end-of-course exams can help measure and improve the quality of a high school education and provide students with the high-level skills needed to succeed in college or the workplace.
Expanded school choice will improve academic outcomes for all Texas students, increase racial integration, and help to reduce the inequities faced by students of various socioeconomic backgrounds.
This report focuses on post-secondary readiness in Texas and considers the following important questions: Should post-secondary readiness be the goal for every public school student? How does Texas measure up to that goal? What steps have been taken to ensure post-secondary readiness, and what steps remain to be taken?
This paper provides a real-world account of some of the most successful schools in Texas. These schools are capitalizing on the benefits of school choice, parental involvement, academic rigor, and high expectations.
Jamie Story, education policy analyst, presented testimony before the Texas State Board of Education regarding RHSP/DAP graduation requirements, July 6, 2006.
This brief examines the education reforms of the Special Session, concluding that the truest measure of effectiveness will be found in the degree to which they pave the way for even greater reforms in the 80th Session of the Legislature.
Effective teacher pay reforms will improve teacher quality and provide Texas students with the opportunity to acquire the academic skills they need to be successful.
March 16, 2006
Texas, We Have a Problem The Math/Science Education Deficit and the Need for High School Reform By Jamie Story
America can no longer rely on other countries to fill its gaps in math and science education; instead, the U.S.--and Texas in particular--must work to strengthen the math/science pipeline from elementary and secondary school, to higher education and to the workforce.
This policy brief provides a snapshot of statistics and research on education spending. It looks beyond the rhetoric--providing solid evidence that there is no correlation between increased education spending and greater student achievement.
This report examines existing research on public school district consolidation and identifies an alternative to district consolidation that offers promise for improving the efficiency of Texas public schools.
This fact sheet provides a snapshot of statistics and research on the Texas public education system. It includes statistics on performance and proficiency, drop out and graduation rates, standards and achievement, higher education, and public education spending.
Revising statutory requirements for public school accreditation offers legislators an opportunity to address the failure of reforms to translate elementary and middle school improvements into high school success. Strengthening the accreditation system would substantially improve the entire K-12 system and increase public trust in the value of public education.
Across the nation, the movement for an increased government role in early childhood education (ECE) is gaining momentum. This perspective asks critical questions regarding cost-benefit analysis of ECE, government's role in ECE, and what is being done to improve ECE throughout Texas.
While Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) have a valid purpose in ensuring that the education of the many is not unduly impeded by the severe misbehavior of a few, we must focus on reforms such as eliminating unnecessary DAEP referrals, holding DAEPs to a higher level of accountability, and developing best practices for DAEPs in order to produce verifiable results in academic performance and behavior modification for Texas' youth.
Teachers in Texas public schools are underpaid, according to teachers and educational associations. Is this true? This report evaluates the adequacy of pay for teachers in Texas public schools by using various standards, and explores how Texans can restore regard for teaching, invigorate the market for teaching professionals, and improve the quality of teaching and learning by establishing teacher pay that mirrors pay of private sector professionals.
November 30, 2005
Pocket Facts Better Salaries For Teachers In Texas Public Schools By Chris Patterson and Jamie Story
Facts and recommendations taken from "Better Salaries for Teachers in Texas Public Schools," by Chris Patterson and Jamie Story.
A new approach to school accountability was proposed during the 79th Session of the Texas Legislature — turning failing public schools over to private sector education management organizations. This policy brief identifies how EMOs can help improve student achievement and the financial efficiency of Texas public schools.
This brief takes a closer look at the body of research which demonstrates the relationship between direct classroom spending and greater student achievement. This research suggests that state policymakers are moving Texas in the right direction by targeting more education dollars for instruction.
This is a snapshot of the research findings from a recently published report, "Texas Charter Schools: An Assessment In 2005," as well as the findings of five other research reports on charter schools released over the past year. These reports identify what we should know about Texas charter schools and the fundamental steps to improving public education.
September 21, 2005
Texas Charter Schools An Assessment In 2005 By Timothy J. Gronberg, Ph.D. and Dennis W. Jansen , Ph.D.
The findings of this new study are startling and will prove immensely useful for state policymakers considering ways to improve public education and parents seeking academically-sound alternatives to traditional public schools.
July 14, 2005
House Bill 2 Mandate for 65 Percent Spending on Classroom Instruction By Chris Patterson
This brief details how the 65 percent spending baseline is a critically important tool for improving student performance and should be preserved in HB 2.
As the legislature convenes in special session to consider school finance and education reform, these bullet-point recommendations offer a guide to improving the academic environment in Texas.
The economic impacts of gambling have been examined by a large body of national and international research; however, the research findings are mixed. While there is general agreement that gambling can provide large state revenues and that there are socio-economic costs attached to these revenues, researchers disagree about the dollar value assigned to these costs and whether the net fiscal impact is positive or negative.
April 05, 2005
Free Our Children Testimony Before The House Committee On Public Education By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.
Including handouts "The Pencil" and "A Lesson from the Pilgrims."
Creation of a new school finance system offers the Texas Legislature a unique opportunity to address the challenge of raising student achievement. Education reforms introduced by House Bill 2 merit serious consideration by the Texas Senate because they provide the means for students to achieve post-secondary readiness.
There is very little doubt that Texas has led the nation in public education reform over the past decade or so and that Texas has served as a model for other states and the nation in the advancement of standards and accountability. There is mounting evidence that the easier phases of reform are behind us in Texas, that some of the more intractable problems with student achievement have not been reached by reforms while serious backsliding is underway in others. It is evident that more of the same accountability and standards will not produce the results we want, and that a much more difficult phase of reform lies ahead.
This study calculates the financial impact on the state when Texans leave high school but fail to learn basic reading, writing, and math. Many of these students simply drop out, but an increasing number of them are students who graduate but still lack basic skills. The financial impact on the state manifests itself in a variety of ways — lower earning potential and poor productivity of workers, increased spending on social programs, direct costs of remediation by institutes of higher education and employers, and personal losses that may affect individuals for a lifetime and the state for generations.
Many changes in the monoply education system are needed. The most fundamental change, though — the one that could lead to a sea change in educational quality and lead to true responsiveness on the part of the educational system — would be to introduce competition.
As Texans await a likely second special session to address public school finance, you can access all of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's research on this important issue -- examining reforms to the state's tax system and the way children are educated.
Invited to testify before the Senate Education Committee's hearing on the textbook adoption process, the Foundation's director of research offered her analysis and recommendations.
The Texas Legislature's 'Adequacy Study' is the best analysis available to inform a redesign of the state’s current school finance system, but neither it nor any other study, statistical or otherwise, can justify a claim that more money is required for improvement in Texas’ education system. In addition to the report, you can download the Legislature's study's rankings of districts, as well as technical information about this report.
A brief look at the decade of “experiments” and “pilot programs" devoted to school choice, leading to the conclusion that it does work for all children.
May 13, 2004
Weighing the Difference An Evaluation Of The Unequal Burden Of State Taxes For Texas Businesses By Milton Holloway
Businesses bearing the highest tax burdens pay more than twice the taxes levied on the group of businesses paying the lowest taxes. While Texas ranks well overall in the level of total taxation per gross state product among the states, some business pay more taxes in Texas than do businesses in many other states.
Testimony presented by the Foundation's Director of Research before the Senate Education Committee on April 22, 2004, and the Committee of the Whole on the Senate Floor on May 10, 2004.
This study evaluates how
Texas public schools are meeting the challenge of educating children today,
while considering the cost of public education outcomes on the lives of
individual Texans, their communities, and the state economy. The evidence is
compelling that many Texas public schools are failing the public trust. Despite
decades of reform, massive infusions of funds, aggressive efforts of policymakers,
and commitment of educators, there has been no significant improvement in
academic proficiency of high school graduates, closure of the achievement gap, and
increase in high school graduation. The study notes that the current special
legislative session on school finance reform offers Texans an opportunity to
fundamentally change the delivery of public education. To boost the state economy
and provide all children with the opportunity for success, the author concludes that
Texans must choose school choice.
May 04, 2004
Texas Payroll Tax Searching for New Revenues to Fund Public Schools By John Barrett
Local property taxes fund a substantial portion of public education in Texas today. As
the Texas Legislature provides property tax relief, a new source of education revenue
must be found. This report examines the viability of creating a payroll tax to fund
Texas public schools. Payroll taxes, the author finds, have proven damaging to
businesses, employees, and citizens - increasing the cost of doing business, reducing
employment, depressing wages, reducing economic competiveness, and obstructing
economic growth.
This brief publication concisely dispels four of the most common misconceptions about taxes and public education in Texas.
The myths include:
Businesses pay taxes.
Equity should be the foundation of school finances.
The system is in dire need of more money.
The state needs a new system of taxation because the current system cannot adequately fund education.
April 20, 2004
General Principles for Conservatives School Finance: Education Spending and Taxation By Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute
A bullet-point examination of the principles that should guide the debate on public school finance reform. This paper lays out the general principles of taxation and spending that will lead to long-term solution for improving Texas' schools and economy. Published jointly by the Foundation with the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, a bipartisan organization based in Austin.
With a number of tax structure modification alternatives are under consideration by policymakers in Texas, one alternative is to fund a property tax reduction with an increase in the sales tax. The size of the property tax reduction being discussed is about 50% of the current levy for school maintenance and operations, or $8.5 billion in 2005. The tax change is reviewed from the perspective of several recognized characteristics of good tax policy. This paper analyzes five alternative formulations (scenarios) of the tax shift according to various sales tax rate and sales tax base-broadening options.
April 14, 2004
Building For The Future A Look At School Facilities Funding In Texas By Wendell Cox and Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.
Because school facilities taxes are part of many taxpayers’ total school property tax bill, the way that facilities are funded should be a fundamental part of comprehensive school finance reform. The growing investment of state tax dollars to help local school districts pay off facilities debt lends particular urgency to the need for state policymakers to establish standards, accountability, and controls for the debt that local school districts elect to incur and pass along to every taxpayer in the state.
April 05, 2004
Individual Education Plan The Case For Choice For Texas Students With Disabilities By Matthew Ladner
Does school choice help children with disabilities, or might they be left behind? This study finds that during the 2002-3 school year, 11.6 percent of Texas public school children were enrolled in special education programs; statewide there was an average of just over $3,900 in additional spending per special education student last year. The author finds that the available evidence on school voucher programs establishes that private schools are willing to serve special needs students and are already doing so in existing voucher programs, including one of the nation’s largest voucher programs (the McKay Scholarships in Florida), which were designed exclusively for disabled students. Far from an impediment to the implementation of a more generally applicable choice program, choice represents a vital opportunity to aid the education of students with disabilities.
A new book co-published by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation explores the often contentious issue of school choice, and the role it can play in Texas’ upcoming debate on school finance reform. Nine authors from both sides of the issue present their ideas in this 100-page volume edited and introduced by the Foundation’s director of research, Chris Patterson.
This study investigates the regulatory and financial incentives driving up expenditures and examines the fiscal accountability of school districts to taxpayers. Economist Milton Holloway reviews the economic performance of three Texas school districts and finds their accounting systems were not designed to differentiate between required spending and discretionary spending. This calls into question claims that public schools have insufficient funds to provide core instructional programs.
March 19, 2004
The Business Activity Tax Is The BAT A Homerun Or A Strike-Out? By Richard Vedder, Ph.D. and Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.
Some in Austin are considering several proposals to replace a portion of the local school property tax with a statewide business activity tax (better known as a value-added tax), as part of the effort to eliminate “Robin Hood.” This report explores the pros and cons of a BAT on the state economy and its role as a source of education financing.
March 19, 2004
Assessing Performance Spending and Learning in Texas Public Schools By Sanjiv Jaggia and Vidisha Vachharajani
Over the last 25 years, Texas public schools have undergone comprehensive reform, and state funding has increased significantly. To determine what role funding has played in improving student performance and whether resources really matter, the Foundation commissioned the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University to develop a model for evaluating spending and achievement. Some results are surprising. Increasing total district spending and across-the-board teacher pay raises do not increase passing rates on state assessments. However, increases in instructional spending do pay off in higher student performance. The findings suggest Texas school districts could improve student performance by reordering educational and financial priorities.
Texas-STAMP A Sophisticated Tax Model for Texas By The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University
The benefits and costs of changing the state tax code can now be estimated by a dynamic computer program, developed for the Foundation by the Beacon Hill Institute. Texas-STAMP provides highly detailed information about the effects of specific tax changes on various aspects of the state economy over a five year period. Accessed over the Internet, Texas-STAMP will be used in the halls of the Capitol as legislators debate tax proposals, such as increases in the sales tax, property tax reduction and the introduction of a business activity tax. Texas-STAMP is the centerpiece of the multi-faceted, comprehensive research initiative on school finance that the Foundation began in 2003.
A comprehensive report by Richard Vedder and Joshua Hall exploring better ways to deliver education in Texas and the competing proposals to fund it. As Texans consider how best to reform public education and end “Robin Hood,” this study offers insights into the importance of money, funding sources and resource allocation in improving student achievement.
A comprehensive collection of papers by the leading voices on school finance reform from across the ideological spectrum, Putting the Sides Together identifies the diversity of opinion voiced in Texas today and the areas of fundamental agreement. The importance of school finance reform – for public education, taxation, and the state economy – dictates that all Texans be fully engaged in a measured and thoughtful debate. This collection is designed to help clarify the debate. Edited and introduced by the Foundation’s director of research, this collection most importantly demonstrates the tremendous opportunity Texans have to improve both the quality of education and the economic vitality of our state for generations to come.
Reforming the state’s school finance system provides legislators with the perfect opportunity to establish and connect fiscal standards, as well as incentives, to school performance while addressing the problem of revenue. We must use education dollars to improve Texas public schools, and refine the accountability system, including assessments, school ratings/accreditation standards and calculation of high school completion, to support this effort.
October 22, 2003
Thinking about School Finance in Texas Testimony to the Subcommittee on Cost Adjustments of the Select House Committee on Public School Finance By Eric Hanushek
School finance in the United States has been in turmoil for thirty years. Three things have contributed if not caused this turmoil. First, the courts have become very active participants in the design of school finance policy, and this is not something they are particularly well-equipped to do. Second, court decisions have reinforced a more general tendency to centralize school decision making at the state level. Third, school finance has been largely divorced from considerations of the performance of schools. The result has been that the outcomes have been disappointing both in terms of the levels of student achievement and in terms of measures of equity across schools. The State of Texas of course knows many of the problems, and I believe it is a very good sign that the Governor and the Legislature are prepared to address the issues.
October 22, 2003
Follow the Money A 50-State Survey of Public Education Dollars By Chris Patterson
The first in a series of research reports on Texas school finance, this study provides an unprecedented look at how public education dollars fit into the overall financial structure of each of the 50 states. For each state, the authors track the sources of public education dollars, determine the amount spent on public education, and identify the relationship between public education dollars and total state spending. The authors also examine the relationship between state spending, revenues and personal income as a measure of each state’s ability to sustain public education funding. This report offers Texans, as well as those in other states, a fiscal foundation for school finance reform.
As Texas prepares for a session on public school finance reform, these guiding principles will be used by the Foundation in its research. They are useful in setting expectations for addressing revenue streams, understanding expenditures and even structuring the system of public education.
Testifying before the full Select Committee on Public School Finance, Dr. Vedder outlined the relative merits of revenue options, but also urged legislators to exercise caution in making radical changes to the state's tax system.
Public schools are supposed to be about kids, not the people running them. Public support of education is about improving the nation’s human capital stock and helping meet the equalitarian ideals that our founding fathers so eloquently proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence.
Growing up in abject poverty in the inter-city of Ft. Worth, Texas, during hard economic times and now serving as a president of a charter school in a predominantly low-income region of the country, Kyev Tatum knows firsthand the importance of educational choice for all children.
As an independent scholar who has studied the effects of school choice programs, I am compelled by the evidence to recommend that you expand school choice in any effort to improve the financing and delivery of education in Texas.
The purpose of this report is to explore ways to reduce expenditures for the public school employee health insurance program. The question is whether the $1 billion dollar per year program is a bane in adding to the depth of the budget deficit or a boon in providing clues to reduce expenditures for all of the state’s health insurance programs costing over $10 billion per year.
In a presentation for school district superintendents and trustees, Chris Patterson examines the problems facing public schools and improving student achievement, examines the research available on curriculum and the "achievement gap." The outline includes specific resources and publications as supplements.
Over the next biennium, Texas public schools are challenged to raise student achievement at the same time as the state budget suffers a critical shortfall. Schools will have to develop creative and cost-effective ways to meet new and more rigorous academic requirements.
Set aside the hype, because the facts about teacher pay -- and the so-called teacher shortage -- paint a very different picture about our state's public schools.
September 06, 2002
Testing and Accountability A discussion for the 2002 Summer Legislative Policy Conference By Chris Patterson
An examination of Texas' testing and accountability system, including supplemental charts and graphics.
Charts prepared for the Summer Legislative Policy Conference, examing the relationship between 3rd and 8th grade proficiency in math and reading as indicators for college preparedness.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation undertook a comprehensive review of the middle school social studies textbooks under consideration for approval by the State Board of Education.
Taxing Texans: Part 4 Education Funding: How Texas Stacks Up By Richard Vedder, Ph.D.
At both the elementary and collegiate levels, Texas devotes a larger percent of its tax revenue to education than the national average – between 9 and 10 percent more.
A management structure for the Permanent School Fund similar to UTIMCO at the Permanent University Fund would be a positive step toward maintaining the integrity of the fund. It would give the State Board of Education authority over the fund commensurate with their responsibilities and provide them the necessary financial expertise.
I ask this Committee to recommend that the 78th Texas Legislature enact Constitutional amendments to restore the integrity of the State Board of Education as an elected body vested with authority to implement legislative policy for the state system of public schools.
African-American students are most disadvantaged by state assessments because they generally attend schools that “teach to the test.” Many African-American students are taught only that small portion of state curriculum standards measured by tests and are taught at the low level of academic proficiency measured by tests.
Texas Public Schools are failing many African-American students. While there are broad performance gaps between all student groups in Texas, African-American students have the lowest scores on TAAS and tests of college readiness.
January 06, 2002
From TAAS to TAKS A Progress Report on New Assessments for Texas Public Schools By Chris Patterson
"Texas school children deserve an academically rigorous assessment, but there is little evidence the TAKS tests will be much different from the TAAS," says Chris Patterson, TPPF Director of Education Research and author of the study. "Texas needs a world-class test, not one reflecting the low standards of the past."
The Texas Permanent School Fund (Fund) and its managers, the State Board of Education (Board), have become the focus of much critical attention over the past decade. Forever seeking greater sources of funding, the Texas Legislature has attempted to exercise greater control over the Fund to meet the State's short-term needs for revenue. On the other hand, the Board has sought to accommodate the legislature while fulfilling its duty of protecting and growing a permanent, perpetual endowment fund.
Efforts to eliminate standardized tests have mounted over the past decade, particularly when tests are used in decisions related to promotion, graduation, and college admission. The attack on standardized testing has primarily focused on the SAT, a test developed in 1926 to determine college readiness.
May 17, 2001
Navigating Newly Chartered Waters An Analysis of Texas Charter School Performance By Dennis W. Jansen , Ph.D. and Timothy J. Gronberg, Ph.D.
The study compiles information on the charter school market, including characteristics of students served. It also investigates student performance from a variety of perspectives, and evaluates the cost efficiency of charter school performance.
Members of the Texas House and Senate are now considering legislation to change the Permanent School Fund. Three proposed constitutional amendments, if adopted, would change who makes decisions about the fund, what the spending policy is and would expand the beneficiaries of the fund.
The challenge of teacher recruitment and retention is on any short list of problems facing public education in the 21st century. The problem is so severe that we often hear about a growing teacher shortage.
The results of the independent Harvard University study of the innovative Horizon scholarship
program demonstrate that school choice and education scholarships can be successfully applied to
socio-economically disadvantaged communities on a district-wide basis... Academic scores among Horizon
students are rising; public school overcrowding is falling; and parental satisfaction among scholarship
students is soaring.
Government must fund all education and educational speech equally and neutrally and let individuals decide for themselves what brand of education they desire for their children. This not only comports with First Amendment religious neutrality, but the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.
Like most parents, mine felt that I deserved the best education they could afford. And part of that meant learning in a racially diverse school to prepare me to compete in a racially diverse world. Eventually many of those new kids, once they knew me, the human being, and not me, the symbol, came to understand the logic of my position and accepted my friendship.
Americans are grappling with major policy questions about education, from improving student performance to funding, charter schools to classroom size. More than a decade ago, New Zealand, a country only slightly smaller than Texas, faced similar, if not worse, problems. We "Kiwis" made bold, across-the- board reforms, with positive results.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members and officials often bristle at the suggestion that the PTA is dominated by the teacher unions. If one thinks of domination only in terms of explicit union commands to the PTA, this reaction is understandable. In practice, however, teacher union domination is subtle but highly effective.
A joint research project between the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Education Connection of Texas. This independent study provides an analysis of several of the mathematics textbooks being considered for adoption by local school districts.
This is an essential guide for parents seeking to ensure the effectiveness of the schools their children attend.
“This handbook condenses into fewer than twenty pages many volumes of wisdom about what makes a good school.”
-- Dr. Lynne Cheney, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute.
The Texas State Board of Education authorized school districts to purchase a textbook with state monies that has been ridiculed from coast to coast in the national news media, denounced in the United States Congressional Record, and blamed for abysmal math scores in California.
A landmark study presenting an assessment of four issues often raised about proposed school choice plans. The study shows that academic quality is an important motivating factor for low-income parents who desire school choice. public schools will not be monetarily hurt by a voucher plan because a limited number of private school vacancies will prevent a mass exodus from public schools.
A question-and-answer explanation of the Public Education Grant Program, designed to allow students assigned to low-performing public schools have a choice to attend another public school, including one outside their own district.
This study reflects three areas in the Texas public school system that demonstrate the greatest source of inefficiency: the large amount of money spent on nonclassroom activities and administrative personnel, our fragmented school system with too many districts for the number of students and the amount of regulation by state government.
TexasPolicy.com
Texas Public Policy Foundation 900 Congress Ave., Ste. 400 Austin, TX 78701 Phone 512.472.2700 Fax 512.472.2728
