All Politics Is Local: Introducing a Relative Measure of How Adequately States Fund Community Colleges Based on County-Level Demographics
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| Title: | All Politics Is Local: Introducing a Relative Measure of How Adequately States Fund Community Colleges Based on County-Level Demographics |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Frank Fernandez, Xiaodan Hu, State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) |
| Source: | State Higher Education Executive Officers. 2025. |
| Availability: | State Higher Education Executive Officers. 3035 Center Green Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: 303-541-1600; Fax: 303-541-1639; e-mail: sheeo@sheeo.org; Web site: http://www.sheeo.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 34 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Joyce Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: | Community Colleges, Counties, State Aid, Educational Finance, Financial Support, Equal Education, Student Financial Aid, Minority Group Students, Measurement Techniques, Racial Composition, Credentials |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | Twenty-two times, state courts have ruled that legislatures are inadequately funding K-12 schools based on constitutional rights to public education. When states implemented court-ordered financing reforms, the poorest school districts increased per-student spending by 11.5% to 12.1%. Those districts then showed increased graduation rates by between 6.8% and 11.5%. The notion of funding adequacy should be extended beyond public high schools and into community colleges to ensure students have consistent and adequate resources to equal learning opportunities in higher education. Community colleges enroll disproportionate shares of the nation's underrepresented racial minority students. These students have often been poorly served by underfunded schools and school districts and enter higher education with additional academic and student services needs that can be costly for colleges. Underrepresented racial minority students are also disproportionately affected when college budgets are cut. The authors argue that states should examine how they fund community colleges based on the students those colleges serve. Prior literature has examined education funding based on county-level demographics. Prior literature has focused on K-12 school resources, but in this report the authors argue that it is important to focus on community college finance for two reasons: First, examining adequacy in community college funding could be used to help prevent legal allegations that states are perpetuating racialized funding disparities between community colleges. Second, state policymakers could use this approach of defining and measuring funding adequacy based on how county demographics relate to the overall state population to close inequitable funding gaps that correlate with race. Achieving funding adequacy while considering racial equity ensures that the community colleges that are best situated to address state higher education completion gaps (e.g., between Black students and white students) have more resources to do so. State completion agendas are contingent on improving college success for these groups of students, particularly in community colleges. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED675442 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Twenty-two times, state courts have ruled that legislatures are inadequately funding K-12 schools based on constitutional rights to public education. When states implemented court-ordered financing reforms, the poorest school districts increased per-student spending by 11.5% to 12.1%. Those districts then showed increased graduation rates by between 6.8% and 11.5%. The notion of funding adequacy should be extended beyond public high schools and into community colleges to ensure students have consistent and adequate resources to equal learning opportunities in higher education. Community colleges enroll disproportionate shares of the nation's underrepresented racial minority students. These students have often been poorly served by underfunded schools and school districts and enter higher education with additional academic and student services needs that can be costly for colleges. Underrepresented racial minority students are also disproportionately affected when college budgets are cut. The authors argue that states should examine how they fund community colleges based on the students those colleges serve. Prior literature has examined education funding based on county-level demographics. Prior literature has focused on K-12 school resources, but in this report the authors argue that it is important to focus on community college finance for two reasons: First, examining adequacy in community college funding could be used to help prevent legal allegations that states are perpetuating racialized funding disparities between community colleges. Second, state policymakers could use this approach of defining and measuring funding adequacy based on how county demographics relate to the overall state population to close inequitable funding gaps that correlate with race. Achieving funding adequacy while considering racial equity ensures that the community colleges that are best situated to address state higher education completion gaps (e.g., between Black students and white students) have more resources to do so. State completion agendas are contingent on improving college success for these groups of students, particularly in community colleges. |
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