Recognizing the need for new estimates on how much school funding is adequate for Pennsylvania school districts, Philadelphia-based Research for Action commissioned Picus Odden & Associates to use the Evidence-Based Model to determine if three districts had adequate funding, in a project called Investing-So-Schools-Work. Using the core EB recommendations, we found evidence of inadequate state funding in each participating district:
- Butler Area School District — 16% adequacy gap
- Chambersburg Area School District — 17% adequacy gap
- Upper Darby School District — 22% adequacy gap
We concluded that “If such funds were provided and used as the [model] indicates, the state could reasonably expect significant overall improvements in student achievement and reductions in the achievement gaps linked to student demographics.”
