Improve Early Grade-Level Reading

Research: K-12 Funding

Because the Constitution gives the power of education to the states, states are primarily responsible for the establishment and administration of local school districts which, in turn, have direct responsibility for the operation of K-12 schools in communities.

Nationally, school districts receive approximately 8percent of their total K-12 funding from federal sources, 49 percent from state sources, and 43 percent from local sources. [i]

· The majority of federal funds for K-12 education come from Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), better known today as No Child Left Behind . Most Title I funds are distributed by formula from the U.S. Department of Education and are intended to help local school districts and schools improve the teaching and learning of children who are failing, or are most at risk of failing, to meet challenging academic standards.

· More than 90 percent of the nation’s approximately 16,000 school districts receive Title I funds. [ii]

· Eight states provide an incentive to districts to offer full-day kindergarten: Alaska, Georgia, Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. [iii]

· Eighteen states provide a disincentive to districts to offer full-day kindergarten: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming). [iv]

· Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia do not provide an incentive or disincentive for districts to offer full-day kindergarten. [v]