Do all American kids get the same amount of money spent on their education?
Data Scavenger Hunt
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, using your big brain and the links below:
What state spent the most per public school student in FY (fiscal year) 2022?
How much did your state spend per public school student in FY 2022?
There are many ways to divide things but one handy way to divide the U.S. is into the following regions: the Northeast, Midwest, West, and South. Which of these regions, generally spends the least on education per public school student?
Draw a conclusion about that variation in spending by region. In other words, why do states spend such different amounts of money on their students?
List one thing the chart makes you wonder:
200 years ago, the amount of money spent per pupil for public schools was basically zero dollars. In 2022, there was $16,340 spent per K-12 public school students in the US. What is one consequence of the increase in spending?
Elite universities like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton charge huge tuition and spend lots of money to ensure they have the best resources, facilities, and faculties. Do you think that money impacts a school’s ability to educate their students?
On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, while also urging Congress to abolish it outright. Since Trumps inauguration, the White House has stripped public schools of critical funding and greenlit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on public schools. How do you think the Trump administration will impact American education?
Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government. Generally, an overarching national government is responsible for broader governance of larger territorial areas, while the smaller subdivisions, states, and cities govern the issues of local concern. Both the national government and the smaller political subdivisions have the power to make laws and both have a certain level of autonomy from each other. In the United States, the Constitution established a system of “dual sovereignty,” under which the States have surrendered many of their powers to the Federal Government, but also retained some sovereignty. How does the visual above illustrate the concept of federalism.
If, as the Preamble to the Constitution asserts, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” And if, as the Declaration of Independence asserts, “All men are created equal,” should educational funding be the same for all students?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Look up how much your district spends per student and share your research with your class.
Get Creative
Breaking news: 2030 - American schools all get equal funding so that they can spend the same amount on each student. Make a creative response to life in an educationally equal America.
Learn More
Spending is not only unequal between states, but also between districts within states. Learn more about why spending is so different across the nation.
