ProGov21 Policy Library

A Public Interest Primer on Charter Schools

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Education

The rapid growth in the number of charter schools amounts to the privatization of public education. These schools receive public education money and because of this are often referred to as “public schools,” but this is a mischaracterization. Charter schools are privately operated...

Students Experiencing Homelessness: The Conditions and Outcomes of Homelessness Among California Students

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, State, School District, School Board

State(s) California

Source Learning Policy Institute

Policy Areas Education, Children & Families

A contribution to a host of previous efforts to better understand the opportunities and academic outcomes of students experiencing homelessness. The report describes the population of students experiencing homelessness in California in 2018–19 and then, drawing on earlier data from...

Deplorable school conditions: investment in the future of kids in Detroit and all of Michigan

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2016

Level City or Town

State(s) Michigan

Source Michigan League for Public Policy

Policy Areas Education, Community Development

This report examines the blighted school conditions in Detroit and the lack of investment in schools across Michigan. It discusses these conditions' detrimental effects on children's education, future opportunities, and mental health. It emphasizes the need for focused attention,...

The New Math on School Finance: Adding Up the First-Ever Disclosure of Corporate Tax Abatements’ Cost to Public Education

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, State, School District

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 77 requires most state and local government bodies, including school districts, to annually disclose the costs of corporate tax abatements. As a result of the new rule, thousands of America’s public school districts are...

Access to High-Quality Early Education and Racial Equity

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, School District, School Board

State(s) All States

Source National Institute for Early Education Research

Policy Areas Education, Children & Families

Black children experience unequal treatment beginning at an early age, which contributes to inequalities in learning and development. By the time they enter kindergarten, Black children are on average nearly nine months behind in math and almost seven months behind in reading compared...

Investing in Student Wellness and Success in Ohio

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level State

State(s) Ohio

Source Council for a Strong America

Policy Areas Children & Families, Education

In 2019, the Ohio's Student Wellness and Success Fund was created to help school districts invest in the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their students. This report discusses the many ways school districts have used Student Wellness and Success funds, and outlines other...

2012 District of Columbia Act 19-0345 Investing in Community Schools

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2012

Level City or Town

State(s) District of Columbia

Source Council of the District of Columbia

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement, Education, Children & Families

Title IV of this act creates the Community Schools Incentive Initiative, which will award multi-year grants to create community schools. A community school is a public and private partnership in a public or charter school that coordinates educational, developmental, family, health,...

2020 Madison Resolution 61137 Decreasing Police Presence in Schools

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) Wisconsin

Source Madison Common Council

Policy Areas Children & Families, Education, Public Safety

This resolution terminates Madison Metropolitan School District's (MMSD) contract with the Madison Police Department (MPD) to provide School Resource Officers (SROs) for the four MMSD high schools. In addition, the ordinance aims to address racial disparities in school discipline...

Crumbling Roads, Poisoned Water and Unsafe Schools: the Effects of a Decade of Disinvestment

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2016

Level City or Town, County

State(s) Michigan

Source Michigan League for Public Policy

Policy Areas Health, Education

This infographic examines trends of reduced social spending and infrastructure investment in Michigan communities, using Flint and Detroit as case studies of the impacts of these austerity programs include diminished government purchasing power and a rise in extreme-child poverty...

A Restorative Approach for Equitable Education

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level City or Town, School District

State(s) All States

Source Learning Policy Institute

Policy Areas Children & Families, Education

The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for educational equity, but has also created an opportunity to reevaluate traditional approaches and implement restorative practices. This report suggests research-based equity-focused practices such as leveraging school advisory systems...

A Hard Habit to Break: The Raiding of K-12 Funds for Post-Secondary Education

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level State, School District

State(s) Michigan

Source Michigan League for Public Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development, Children & Families, Education

Michigan has shifted a total of $4.5 billion intended for K-12 public schools to universities and community colleges since 2010. This cut to K-12 education was not done for the benefit of postsecondary education, but to balance the state budget and compensate for General Fund dollars...

High-Quality Early Childhood Assessment: Learning From States’ Use of Kindergarten Entry Assessments

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Learning Policy Institute

Policy Areas Education

Early childhood assessments, when well designed and well implemented, can support developmentally appropriate learning by providing information to guide instruction and support children's development. As early childhood programs are becoming part of many state education systems, educators...

Building the Power to Reclaim Our Schools

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, School District

State(s) California

Source LAANE

Policy Areas Community Development, Education

In January 2019, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) held a six-day strike in response to challenges facing The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), resulting from LAUSD’s inability to raise local property taxes and the growing charter school sector that draws funding away...

Breaking Point: The Cost of Charter Schools for Public School Districts

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Education

The unchecked expansion of charter schools in California has led to dire fiscal conditions for the public education system, and public school students are bearing the costs. California’s Charter School Act doesn’t allow school boards to consider how a proposed charter school may impact...

Taking Stock of City Pre-K Quality Policy and Practice

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, School District, School Board

State(s) All States

Source National Institute for Early Education Research

Policy Areas Education, Children & Families

This toolkit was developed to help cities and local school districts assess the quality of their public pre-K programs. It translates evidence and best practices into a set of items to appraise the design and implementation of the pre-K program. The information gathered through this...

The True Cost of Private School Voucher Programs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Education Law Center

Policy Areas Education

Private school vouchers divert tax dollars away from public schools to subsidize the tuition of private and religious schools, simultaneously removing money from public schools and increasing costs for taxpayers. This fact sheet details how the ever-increasing cost of these programs...

2008 Berkeley Resolution 08-73 Supporting Equitable School Outcomes for Children and Youth

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2008

Level City or Town, School District

State(s) California

Source Berkeley Unified School District

Policy Areas Education, Children & Families

This resolution states that the Berkeley School Board will work together with the Berkeley City Council, United in Action, and the community to achieve the "2020 Vision for Berkeley's Children and Youth." This vision outlines that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity and income,...

Abating Our Future: How Students Pay for Corporate Tax Breaks

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level State, School District

State(s) Louisiana, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Texas

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education

Public school students in the U.S. suffered poorer schools—and local and state taxpayers paid higher taxes—in 2019 due to corporate tax breaks; economic development tax abatements given to corporations cost public school districts at least $2.37 billion in foregone revenue in FY 2019....

Education Roadmap

Type Roadmap

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source ProGov21

Policy Areas Children & Families, Education

Strong public schools are the cornerstone of thriving communities. ProGov21's updated Education Roadmap provides information and resources that can aid school districts and municipal governments in improving their school systems. Reforms include universal pre-K, decriminalizing student...

Crises in Flint and Detroit Compound Toxic Stress, Health Risks

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2016

Level City or Town

State(s) Michigan

Source Michigan League for Public Policy

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Education

This infographic highlights the significant challenges faced by children affected by the Flint water crisis and/or enrolled in Detroit Public Schools. It examines the detrimental impact of toxic stress, economic insecurity, and social determinants of health on these children's well-being....

Expanding vouchers chips away at public schools

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Education

This report examines the impact of expanding voucher programs on public schools in Ohio. Despite evidence showing that public school students perform better, vouchers redirect public school funds to private schools, including religious institutions. The report discusses Senate Bill...

Youth Power Agenda in Milwaukee Public Schools, WI

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, School Board, School District

State(s) Wisconsin

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Education, Public Safety

This case study analyzes how student and youth advocacy efforts have advanced alternative visions of safety within the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) district. As a result of this student-led campaign, MPS has terminated all of its contracts with the Milwaukee Police Department, terminated...

Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County, School District, State

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Education, Public Safety

Zero-tolerance policies and the proliferation of law enforcement officers in schools have funneled many students into the criminal legal system. This brief outlines steps school districts, cities, and states can take to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Recommendations include...

City Funding Strategies to Support Public Pre-K Program

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source National Institute for Early Education Research

Policy Areas Education, Children & Families

Supporting pre-K programs with a diverse set of funding streams provides more stability than other methods of funding. This report lists varying funding strategies and examples in different cities across the country, providing models to follow for local officials seeking to expand...

The Revenue Impact of Corporate Tax Incentives on South Carolina Public Schools

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level County, State, School District

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education

Public school districts in South Carolina suffered a sharp increase in lost tax revenue in FY 2019 due to tax breaks granted to private corporations by county governments. The revenues of South Carolina’s school districts are reduced via state permitted programs that grant businesses...

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