School Finance Reforms, Tax Limits, and Student Performance: Do Reforms Level-Up or Dumb Down?

摘要: During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a majority of states substantially changed ways in which schools were funded, either directly through court or legislatively-mandated school finance reform, indirectly tax expenditure limits. To date, there have been few academic attempts to gauge effects these policy changes on actual outcomes education. In this paper, we find compelling evidence that imposition limits local governments state results significant reduction mean student performance standardized tests mathematics skills. We also reforms response mandates do not result level distribution reading mathematics. On other hand, substantial are legislative responses explicit generally increases performance. latter group states, gains largest for students residing localities revenues formed smaller shares total revenue prior reforms.