Public School Choice: Dispatches from LAUSD's Reform

Is Your Public School Fairly Funded? View the Report

One of the primary factors used to assess the quality of public education in our country is the amount of money that is pumped into the educational system by individual states. In light of President Obama's nationwide contest for funding, dubbed "Race to the Top," funding of public schools has become of even greater interest.

A recent study of school funding found that while a handful of states do reasonably well in getting funding to the districts that need it most, others are sorely lacking, putting low-income students at an even bigger disadvantage when it comes to their education and future.

This TEDTalk looks at the dilemma of public school funding.

About the Study

The recent study "Is School Funding Fair? A National Report Card," was authored by David Sciarra, executive director, and Daniel Farrie, research director, of the Education Law Center in New Jersey, and Bruce Baker of Rutgers University Graduate School of Education.

The report looked at all 50 states and rates school funding fairness on the following factors:

• Funding level
• Funding distribution
• State fiscal effort
• Public school coverage

The report uses a detailed analysis of these factors to determine which states exercised equality in their funding efforts, assuring that the school districts that needed the funding most were the top priority for their states.

According to a report in Daily

No one would argue that teachers work hard for their money, but there is debate over how much money that should be. The general public sometimes does not believe teachers get paid enough for their essential work. Others believe that shorter hours and longer vacation times should translate to lower pay than the average teaching professional receives.

At the center of this debate is whether teacher salaries should be a matter of public record. Should taxpayers who foot the bill for teachers' salaries know exactly where their money is going?

Those in Favor

On the one hand, teachers are classified as public employees, which means information like salary should be a matter of public record. Because these salaries are paid using taxpayer money, the public has the right to know how the money is used.

When armed with this information, voters are better positioned to influence decisions in the voting booth during election season. When taxpayers know the full scope of what teachers in their districts make, they are better equipped to ask the right questions about the direction of public education and determine whether changes to the current status quo are justified.

Those Opposed

On the other hand, teachers protest that their specific salaries are private information that should be kept away from public scrutiny. Some argue that publishing salary information about individual teachers on school or state government websites unnecessarily exposes lower-paid employees It may even put some individuals in danger when personal information is

One of the challenges facing many public schools today is how to keep crime out of schools so that learning can more effectively take place. To address this need, many school districts across the country have created their own police departments, with law enforcement officials that do everything from teaching anti-drug classes to making arrests when necessary. These officers work with students and faculty every day, developing a rapport with students and heading many potential problems off at the pass.

This video explains why police add to school safety.

However, severe budget cuts at many schools have forced some districts to take a closer look at these police departments, even cutting staff in some areas. These decisions have not gone over well with school administrators, who believe officers are essential for maintaining a safe environment where students can come to learn every day.

On the other hand, districts with budgets intact have found ways to use law enforcement officials even more effectively, adding to their list of responsibilities to expand safety to school grounds and beyond.

Let’s visit some of these police departments across the country to find out how they add value to the educational system.

Duvall County Public Schools Add Officers, Save Money

In Jacksonville, Florida, the sheriff's department is in the process of transferring many of the school officer resource duties to the Duvall Public

The CDC estimates that the incidence of childhood obesity has tripled in the last three decades, which makes weight one of the primary factors in children's health today. While school lunches may not be a primary culprit in the rise in obesity numbers, few parents and educators would argue that this daily fare could stand to be improved. One solution has been to add more fresh produce to the school lunch counter – some of which is coming from gardens grown right on school grounds. However, this approach to healthier eating is not without its share of opponents.

The Prevalence of School Gardens

According to a recent report on Mother Earth News, schools around the world are tuning into the many healthy advantages of growing their own fresh produce. Students are assisting with the planting, cultivating and harvesting of crops that they eat right in their own school lunchrooms. Classrooms take turns weeding, fertilizing and coaxing crops along, until the great harvest comes along and school cafeterias get to work finding delicious, healthy ways to use the fruits, vegetables and herbs the students had been growing.

To help schools along the way, the Green School Initiative, the Healthy Schools Initiative, Farm to School and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN offer step-by-step planting guides and information about how to incorporate the growing process into the classroom. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's Guide to Federal Funding for Local and Regional