Instructional expenditures show the largest consistent association with achievement, with roughly 84% of variation in spending effectiveness driven by class size reductions, teacher salary increases, and reduced teacher turnover¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Roughly 84% of the variation in school spending effectiveness is explained by the combined funding impacts of class size reductions, teacher salary increases, and reductions in teacher turnover. → Johnson 2023

Evidence¶

Johnson 2023¶

Johnson, R. C. (2023). School funding effectiveness: Evidence from California's Local Control Funding Formula. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/529.194

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Analysis of which uses of LCFF funding are most strongly associated with improved student outcomes, comparing spending categories across districts. The article frames the three inputs as each related to sustaining a strong, stable teacher workforce.

"The results reveal that roughly 84% of the variation in school spending effectiveness can be explained and is predominantly driven by the trio of combined funding impacts of class size reductions, teacher salary increases, and reductions in teacher turnover."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• After accounting for teacher and school characteristics, each $1,000 increase in cost-of-living-adjusted salary is associated with about a 0.34 percentage-point decrease in turnover probability — related
• Input-based incentives produce achievement gains at lower cost than major education reforms of recent decades — related
• Districts' prior-year teacher turnover was negatively associated with certification rates, and certification rates tend to be higher where beginning teacher salaries are higher — related
• LCFF-induced spending increases reduced suspensions and expulsions, with larger effects for boys and the most pronounced effects for Black students — related
• Structural and fiscal conditions—including grade-3 class-size incentive cliffs and declining enrollment—jeopardize the bilingual teacher pipeline and program sustainability — related