Conceptual Theories of State Support

1. Development and Impact of
Conceptual Theories of State
Support
Chapter 11

2. Theories shape social policies and social
organization more than any other group in society.
The early theories in state school finance were
university professors who had a profound influence
on political policy with respect to state school
financing.
Generally, all theorists support the following:
1.Equalization of education opportunity by the
process of equalizing financial support.
2.Provision of an equitable system of taxation for
school financing.

3. Evaluation of Public School Finance Program
Basic studies were conducted to evaluate the public
school finance program. These studies centered on the
following:
1. Variations in the access of pupils to needed
educational programs and services.
2. Variations among the regions
3. Equity of tax structure

4. Proposed studies to evaluate the public school finance
program include the areas of:
1. Percentage of eligible children in early childhood education
program, including kindergarten.
2. Variety of educational programs and courses provided in
the elementary and high school levels.
3. Number and percentage of pupils who drop out before
completing high school.
4. Extent to which compensatory and remedial programs.
5. Percentage of students engaged in educational programs
and activities during the summer months.

5. 6. Nature and extent of programs in vocational, career, and
adult education.
7. Extent to which provision is made for various kinds of
exceptional education and the percentage of students involved
in such programs.
8. Nature and extent of health, counseling, and other services
provided.
9. Availability of library and instructional materials resources.

6. Fiscal Equalization of Educational Opportunities
Measurement
Statistical tools useful for analyzing fiscal equalization.
1. Pearson Coefficient of Correlation or the Spearman Rank
Rank Correlation
This can be used to determine the relationship between
pupil wealth and per pupil expenditure. This statistics will
that the higher the correlation, the less the fiscal evaluation.

7. 2. Lorenz Curve and the Gini Coefficient
These measure the extent of fiscal equalization in the state. A
straight line indicates that the operating expenditures per pupil were
equal among regions. A sagging curve represents lesser expenditure
in poorer regions.
3. Coefficient of Variation
This compares the fiscal disparities in one region with fiscal
disparities of other regions. The current expenditures per region will
be computed per pupil. The mean and the standard deviation will
then be calculated. The coefficient of variation is computed by
dividing the standard deviation by the mean and multiplying the
quotient by100.
4. Restricted Range
This is the restricted range divided by the per pupil expenditure at
the 5th percentile.