Funding

Funding dictates what is possible in policy. Without adequate education funding, it is not possible to implement innovative ideas, create new policies or strengthen existing ones.

Our work focuses on how money supports systems across the education spectrum — from early learning through workforce development — and across the country in all 50 states and territories.

Recently Published Resources

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Featured

Topic

Policy Levers to Advance Credential Transparency

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Policy Brief

Six Policy Priority Areas Prepare State Leaders for Impact

As state education leaders face changing contexts, Education Commission of the States developed six policy priority areas to serve state policymakers' most critical needs. These policy priority areas will inform our organization’s work over the next two years.

Governors’ Top Education Priorities in 2025 State of the State Addresses

In a critical year for state education policy, State of the State addresses offer time for new and incumbent governors to outline policy priorities and elevate successes. For the past […]

K-12 Funding Toolkit: A Strategic Guide for States

The distribution of state funding to school districts has a tremendous impact on student learning opportunities. State leaders juggle different priorities, tradeoffs and incentives when designing funding formulas with the goal of ensuring every student has the learning opportunities to succeed.

Ed Note Blog Posts

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K-12

Colorado and Mississippi Make Big Moves in K-12 Finance Reform

States frequently make changes to their K-12 funding formulas. We have identified 39 enacted bills in 2023 and 22 so far in 2024 that alter K-12 funding formulas in our […]

2024 Election Results: An Overview of State Legislatures and Ballot Measures

We track state-level elections each cycle to monitor new leadership and its potential impact on education policy. With new governors, state legislators and education leaders across the country, we can […]

High School K-12

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Holistic Approaches for Determining K-12 Education Funding Adequacy

Although the District of Columbia (comprising D.C. Public Schools and 69 charter local education agencies) continues to make progress on performance benchmarks, many students still don’t have what they […]

K-12

4 Models States Use to Fund Secondary CTE

Secondary career and technical education programs support a wide range of initiatives to ensure students succeed in postsecondary education and the workforce. CTE programs rely on various funding sources including […]

K-12

Connecticut Uses ESSER Funding to Evaluate Long-Term Investments

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding has provided a historic investment in public education. States have leveraged ESSER funding to support a number of innovative initiatives, including extended […]

Postsecondary

The U.S. Supreme Court Considers Student Debt Forgiveness

Today marks the beginning of oral arguments in the Department of Education v. Brown and Biden v. Nebraska Supreme Court cases. These two legal challenges may determine the fate of […]

Early Education (P-3)

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As Federal Relief Funding for Early Care and Education Fades, States Step In

Federal COVID-19 relief funds have been a lifeline for early care and education programs, but this funding is temporary. With deadlines approaching, states have an opportunity to push forward policies […]

K-12

What Can We Expect in the 2023 Legislative Sessions?

With new legislative sessions beginning, we can learn what education policy trends potentially await in the 2023 sessions by looking at which bills were enacted in 2022 and what early […]

K-12

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Trends in State Allocations of ESSER Funds

After passing the Sept. 30 deadline for states to allocate CARES Act relief funds, states are on track to spend the first round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief […]

K-12

Filling in the Gaps of Teacher Compensation

Salary, retirement and health benefits are key components of a teacher compensation package, but state leaders have taken additional steps to address compensation along the teacher pipeline, from preparation to […]

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