Student Facts: Funding WA Schools - What To Know, Demographics

Understand the consequences of underfunded K-12 students

Student Data — The figures we educate

Students Demonstrate a Great Return on Investment

Funding processes now lag far behind the schools’ actual capability to deliver a world-class education. In spite of all the well documented funding problems:

· U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked WA 3rd in the nation in 2007 for the return it gets on its investment in education.

· WA topped the average test scores on the national SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) for 4 years in a row (among all states where at least one-half of all their students took the SAT test).

· WA continues to have a superior presence on the American College Test, scoring in the top average test scores for 11 consecutive years.

Many communities are seeing the result of the investment. Those students receiving the best education out of the system are being prepared well. The significant percentage of students receiving less than the best—for a wide variety of reasons directly related to funding—are not only getting shortchanged, our state is missing out on the immeasurable potential these students hold to not just increase economic value, but lower the social cost to our missed investment.

Every student is someone’s child— a person you know, a community member, a neighbor, an employee or employer.

Funding Washington Schools

Numbers Tell a Big Part Of The Story

5 Unlikable Stats on WA K-12 Students

1) 34% of graduates qualify as college-ready

2) 51% of 10th graders meet math standards

3) 71% of students graduate on time

4) 47% of public college students from public

high schools took at least one remedial

course in their college career

5) 19% of 9th graders eventually earn an

Associate or Bachelor degree

5 Inescapable Facts on WA K-12 Students

(Most recent validated numbers are as of October 2007)

1) About 1,021,830 students attend WA K-12 schools

2) About 30% come from a background of poverty

3) About 12% have a physical or mental disability

4) About 8% do not speak English as their primary language

5) About 1/3 represent a non-Caucasian ethnicity

Demographics Continue To Change, But Laws Haven’t

The reality is that different demands require different resources, and resources are not equally priced. The laws mandate every child be taught to meet standards—the funding has to follow to allow success. An adequate amount of funds are needed to adequately accomplish the job as defined.

As we deal with present needs, we also need to be looking to the future to think about what kind of our education our students need for the 21st Century. We need to know now whether we are able to answer “yes” to each of these questions:

· Do our students know how to deal with massive amounts of information?

· Do our students know how to communicate globally?

· Do our students understand how to be self-directed and how to organize their own learning?

· Have we changed our teaching methods to reflect the new technology?

· Do our schools have the new technology?

Source: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/U.S. Students Need 21st Century Skills to Compete in a Global Economy

How does your high school rank in the UW’s admission decision?

Most high school students experience a drop in their GPA going from high school to the University of Washington, the most academically selective public university in the state. In making admission decisions, UW ranks high schools based on how big the drop is between the high school and the UW’s GPAs. Schools with the smallest GPA drop receive the highest rank and are awarded the most points by the UW.

How does your School District compare in per-pupil funding? This unadjusted schedule shows where districts start off in funding allocations.

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