New U.S. Census data revealed that public schools already spending less on education have continued to make bigger budget cuts, regardless of whether they are in urban areas. This is surprising, given an earlier analysis suggesting that big cities have been hit hardest by the slow pace of economic recovery, reported Fivethirtyeight.com's Ben Casselman. 

"Given the disproportionate impact [of the economic downturn] on urban districts, you might think the hardest-hit states [in terms of education spending] would be those where the highest proportion of students live in cities," said Casselman. "But it turns out there's no clear relationship there: City-heavy California has experienced big school funding cuts, but even more urban New York has seen per-student spending increase."

Casselman explained that the actual difference-maker is the states' spending levels. States such as Idaho and Utah are making bigger education cuts than are New York and Connecticut. 

Read the full story.

Article by Navindra Persaud, EducationWorld Contributor