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Presentation Type

Open Access Poster Presentation

Keywords

Academic achievement--Iowa; Public schools--Iowa--Finance;

Abstract

Student academic achievement in Iowa is on the decline (US Department of Education 2022). Some politicians propose increasing public education spending in order to address worrisome trends in academic achievement (Richardson 2022). Prior studies disagree about whether there is a relationship between school spending and student outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between K-12 public education spending and student academic achievement in Iowa. This project analyzes data from the past nineteen years to examine the relationship between Iowa’s per- pupil expenditure and student outcomes — specifically, graduation rate, average daily attendance, math proficiency, and ELA/reading proficiency. Results demonstrate that there is no significant relationship between Iowa’s per-pupil expenditure and student academic achievement. While per-pupil expenditure in Iowa has increased over the past nineteen years, student outcomes have not improved. Policymakers and future researchers need to consider why Iowa’s student academic achievement is on the decline in order to effectively address the issue.

Start Date

4-4-2023 9:00 AM

End Date

4-4-2023 9:50 AM

Faculty Advisor

Kristin Mack

Faculty Advisor

Marybeth Stalp

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

Comments

This entry was a part of the following session:

  • Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
  • Time: 9:00 to 9:50 a.m.
  • Moderator: Gregory Bruess

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application/pdf

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Apr 4th, 9:00 AM Apr 4th, 9:50 AM

An Analysis of the Relationship between K-12 Public Education Spending and Student Academic Achievement in Iowa

Student academic achievement in Iowa is on the decline (US Department of Education 2022). Some politicians propose increasing public education spending in order to address worrisome trends in academic achievement (Richardson 2022). Prior studies disagree about whether there is a relationship between school spending and student outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between K-12 public education spending and student academic achievement in Iowa. This project analyzes data from the past nineteen years to examine the relationship between Iowa’s per- pupil expenditure and student outcomes — specifically, graduation rate, average daily attendance, math proficiency, and ELA/reading proficiency. Results demonstrate that there is no significant relationship between Iowa’s per-pupil expenditure and student academic achievement. While per-pupil expenditure in Iowa has increased over the past nineteen years, student outcomes have not improved. Policymakers and future researchers need to consider why Iowa’s student academic achievement is on the decline in order to effectively address the issue.