How much does it cost to educate California's students?

What if you considered all the ingredients that go into making a great educational experience for students? If you added these up, how much do you think California would need to invest per student to make sure we could provide a quality education to all? 

That's exactly the study that our guest, Jesse Levin, principal researcher at American Institutes for Research spearheaded. It's a landmark California education funding adequacy study released in 2018 that was part of the statewide Getting Down to Facts II project.

Jesse takes us "inside the room" as he recounts how a series of professional judgment panels made up of educational experts deliberated about the programs and services students would need to successfully achieve the State's academic and content standards.

We explore how their models considered various school types and the different needs of student populations, all while attempting to maximize cost-effectiveness. And yes: we arrive at the amount that Jesse and his team determined California schools would actually need to invest. Hint: It's more than current spending levels.

Jesse puts the findings of this adequacy study into illuminating context, plus he reflects on reactions to the study when it came out. It's an important and fascinating journey into the world of California education research.

Note: This episode was recorded just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the State's economic outlook has changed dramatically; however, the findings of this landmark study have not changed. We felt it was still highly relevant to present details about the study as a way to provide valuable context for current and future school funding deliberations.

Key Resources

About Jesse D. Levin

Jesse's work at American Institutes for Research over the past 10 years has included key roles on groundbreaking studies of educational adequacy, resource allocation and effective schooling practices, all of which draws upon his expertise in applied econometrics and quantitative methods. He has led and been involved in a number of projects investigating educational production, school finance and adequacy, and resource allocation in several states, including California, Hawaii, Nevada and New York. Prior to joining AIR, he served as an economics researcher for the Institute for Research of Schooling, Labor Market and Economic Development in the Netherlands, where he conducted research in the economics of education and labor economics and performed major countrywide studies of the efficacy of class size reduction, the differences in the effectiveness of private versus public schooling, and measuring the rate of return to education. Full bio here.

About CASBO: The California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. CASBO is dedicated to promoting excellence and professionalism in all aspects of school business.

Your guide:  Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Contact him at [email protected]