A new report based on public school funding and Department of Education data has revealed that only four states have increased education funding since 2008 and defined states by "fairness" in education funding using different measures, according to McClatchy DC.

"The report measured states on per-pupil funding; funding distribution, meaning whether a state provides more or less funding to schools in high-poverty areas; how much 'effort' states show, meaning how much they spend on education compared with their overall economic situation; and the proportion of children in public schools and the income disparity between those in public and private schools," the article said.

Fairness funding in education, according to the report, is defined by the state's ability to address its students need and providing more funding to high-poverty schools to handle the needs of low-income students, according to the article.

Out of all four measures used to determine fairness in funding, only New Jersey and Massachusetts performed well on all four measures. Most states were determined to not give extra money to high-poverty schools with students from low-income families. Only 15 states overall spend more money on high-poverty schools.

This is especially an issue because the report revealed that the poverty rate amongst children has risen. In 2007, 16 percent of students lived under the poverty line while in 2012, 21 percent did.

Further, only Connecticut, Illinois, West Virginia and Wyoming were determined to have increased spending since the recession. Most states are spending less than they did before 2008.

Read the full article here and comment below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

06/08/2015