Review
This book describes all the problems of using taxpayer dollars wisely in paying for public education and offers some creative solutions. It is full of surprises and is written in blessedly clear, jargon-free English. You can't really understand how we can make schools better unless you read this book. ―Jay Mathews, Washington Post education columnist and author of Work Hard. Be Nice. How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
This is one of the most important books ever written about public education in this country. It clearly documents how―unbeknownst to most policymakers and education administrators, not to mention the public―high-poverty schools get less than their fair share of education dollars (and certainly not extra funds to close achievement gaps). This, despite the progressive intentions embodied in policies, mission statements, and campaign promises intended to benefit our neediest students. Drawing on a decade's work pioneering new approaches to analyzing school-level finance data, Roza surfaces pervasive and systematic inequity in the way actual dollars are spent in public schools. She concludes by outlining design principles for a coherent system of education finance, one arguably more capable of furthering strategic goals or matching words to deeds. Educational Economics is crucial for those concerned about investment in and preparation of the future U.S. workforce in an increasingly competitive world. ―Cynthia G. Brown, Vice President for Education Policy, Center for American Progress
A forceful analysis of why following the money in K-12 education generally leads to confusion, misalignments, and frustration. Roza lays out the problems and offers powerful ideas for improving the system. ―Andrew J. Rotherham, Cofounder and Partner, Bellwether Education, and Author, Eduwonk.com
About the Author
Marguerite Roza is a research associate professor at the University of Washington's College of Education and a senior scholar at the Center on Reinventing Public Education. For over a decade, her research has focused on education spending and productivity, digging deep into education spending records to follow resources as they are deployed across schools, classrooms, and students. Much of her work traces spending patterns back to the various policy decisions that prompted them. Her analyses of fiscal policies and their implications for resources at school and classroom levels have prompted changes in education finance policy at all levels in the education system. She has written more than 40 articles and monographs in a wide variety of publications. Currently she serves as a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, at Education Sector, and at the Rockefeller Institute.
Marguerite Roza earned her Ph.D. in education from the University of Washington. Prior to that, she served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, teaching thermodynamics at the Naval Nuclear Power School. She has a B.S. from Duke University and has studied at the London School of Economics and the University of Amsterdam.
