Education Funding

Education Funding

In the United States, education is usually provided by the public sector, and the funding and comes from three different levels: state, local, and federal. It is compulsory to get children equipped with education, and a vast variety of institutions that provide higher education exist throughout the country which provide choice to people for attending schools, which are privately and publicly administered (OECD, 2005).

Funding for Schools in the United States

Schools that are present in the United States are funded according to and in accordance with the respective level of school. The situation is quite different for private schools compared to public schools, and even though a lot of state governments have lessened their budgets, many of the public schools now are also relying on the type of donations which provide funding to private schools. However, most of the schools attain their funds from the similar type of sources, regardless of what the percentages are of the budgets of each of them.

The funding comes from three levels for most of the schools, and even though the federal government does not govern or fund education officially, it is within the purview of all states. The government sets aside a considerable amount of funding which it provides to states for the purpose of education, and this funding is based on the criteria which is set and devised by the federal government. This is the reason why the federal government has the power to exert its influence over the systems which are run by states with the help of its funding (OECD, 2005).

The governments of different states accumulate and then distribute a considerable amount of funding which is designated for schools through income taxes and state sales, property taxes and lotteries. Apart from that, the local governments often play an integral role in contributing to the education funding by their respective systems of taxation.

There are different perspectives that exist when it comes to utilization and proper usage of the funds which are meant for education funding, and it is important to note that more money does not mean better education, as there can still be lack of opportunities for students and incorrect usage of funds towards the resources of teachers might still exist. It is not necessary that the expenditures done on education will reap the correct rewards for sure in the end, but measures need to be taken in order to ensure that the funds meant for funding of education are utilized in the most proper manner possible and that they contribute to making students capable enough of getting good opportunities when they finish schooling.

It is pertinent to note that public schools in the United States lag significantly behind in subjects such as basic mathematics, science and reading even though heaving spending is done on public education (OECD, 2005). It is surprising to note that some of the states in the country have very poor rankings when it comes to quality of education in the ...