This document summarizes key trends in American K-12 education spending and outcomes over the last century. It shows that while per-pupil spending has increased significantly in real terms, schools are educating a more diverse population of students, including many with disabilities or who are learning English. It also highlights important gains, such as dramatic declines in dropout rates, rising high school graduation rates, and increased participation of girls and women in high school sports. The overall message is that schools have made progress in educating more and different types of students despite the challenges of serving a changing population.

1. What is the Money Buying?
James Harvey
National Superintendents Roundtable
ASCD Annual Meeting
Philadelphia
March 24, 2012

2. The evidence
Source: Education Next, 2010

3. Per-Pupil Spending Southern
States
(Black spending as % of white)
1940 1952
• Alabama - 33% • Alabama - 80%
• Arkansas - 43% • Arkansas - 66%
• Florida - 44% • Florida - 79%
• Georgia - 31% • Georgia - 68%
• Louisiana - 32% • Louisiana - N/A
• Mississippi - 17% • Mississippi - 30%
• North Carolina - • North Carolina -
65% 85%
• South CarolinaClotfelter, • South Carolina -
Source: - After Brown, 2004
30% 60%

4. Separate but Equal School in
South Carolina, 1938
Source: Library of Congress

5. Steady Growth in Schooling
Completed
Growth in High School Graduates as Proportion of
all 17-year-olds
76.9 76.7
80
69.8
70
60
50.8
50
% 40
30
20 16.8
10
0
1920 1940 1970 2000 2010
Source: NCES, Digest of Educatin Statistics, 201 1

6. Dramatic Decline in Dropouts
(Status Dropouts, 16-24-year olds)
30
27
25
20
15
14
15
11
10
8
5
0
1960 1970 1980 2000 2009
Source: NCES, Condition of Education, 2010

7. Enrollment of Students with
Disabilities Booms
7,000
6,296 6,483
6,000
4,710
5,000
4,144
3,694
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1976 1980 1990 2000 2009
Source: NCES, Condition of Education, 2010

8. LES Enrollment Surges
Language other than English; Numbers: 000’s
12,000 11,204
9,799
10,000
8,000
6,291
6,000 4,691
4,000
2,000
0
1980 1990 2000 2009
Source: NCES, Condition of Education

9. Women’s Participation in
High School Sports Increases
Ten-fold
4,000,000
3,057,266
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
294,015
0
1971-72 2007-08
Source: American Association of University Women, 2010

10. Teachers Paid a Living Wage
(Constant 2009 Dollars)
Annual Teacher Salary Personal Income per member of labor forxce
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Source: NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 2010

11. Expenditures in Broader
Context
(Constant 2009 Dollars)
Total Expenditures per Pupil Income per member of labor force National income per pupil
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Source: NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 2010, Author’s Calculations for some years

12. The real story
1. Today’s schools aren’t educating the students of 1920
or even 2000
2. We’ve dismantled a “separate but equal” system.
3. We’ve increased number of students with disabilities
(75%) and those learning English (140%)
4. We’ve increased the number of high school girls
participating in athletics ten-fold.
5. And we’ve gone from only 50% of Americans
graduating from high school in 1950 to nearly 80%
today, while lowering real dropout rates.

13. The Horace Mann League
• The Horace Mann League exists to:
• 1. Perpetuate the ideals of Horace Mann
• 2. Preserve and support quality public schools
• 3. Preserve the separation of church and state
• Annual Membership Fee: $75
• Contact: Jack McKay
• Email: jmckay@hmleague.org
• Phone (360) 437 1186