Schools throughout the United States of America are extremely underfunded, resulting in

skewed results in education. The Supreme Court has ruled on multiple occasions that all students should

have the right for equal education, but this remains a problem. Under the 14th Amendment, no child

can be denied equal access to schooling, yet it still occurs every day in hundreds of schools. Schools

across the nation receive unequal amounts of funding which shows in resources provided to students as

well as individual achievements and success among students. This also shows in graduation rates among

lower income districts. Underfunding shows itself in larger than normal class sizes, rundown buildings,

the lack of programs, and the lack of resources such as computers and even textbooks (Strauss). Linda

Darling-Hammond dives into different cases brought to the court where underfunding is the issue at

hand. She states in her book, The Flat World and Education,

…plaintiff school districts… low-income students… have had lower levels of overall resources,

lower teachers’ salaries, and lower levels of educator qualifications than other districts, as well

as lower student performance (Darling-Hammond 113).

Here, one can see the direct correlation of funding and the lack thereof to that of the quality of the

school systems and to that of students’ education and achievement.

Many challenge the problem, and courts consistently agree that higher inputs result in higher

outputs, yet there hasn’t been much put into place to actually solve the problem of making sure that all

schools are provided with adequate funding. It has shown in studies that districts who pursue education

reform and the equalization of funding get better results in the long run than those who do nothing

about the lack of funds for their schools.

Receiving better funding for schools nationwide is something that needs to be addressed, for it

affects the future adults and leaders of the United States of America. Budget cuts in schools and unequal

opportunities ruin the chances to make higher achieving adults once students are finished with school.

Instead of accepting cuts and abiding by the rules put in place, the nation needs to push for reform,
fighting for the equalization of funding and resources. Schools should be given the opportunities to

better themselves with higher educated teachers, technology in the classrooms, textbooks, smaller class

sizes so that each student’s needs can be met, and access to more programs. All of these things have an

undeviating relationship to the amount of money provided to each state, district, and school. By

pursuing reform, one pursues a better education and more opportunities for students. Schools produce

tomorrow’s adults, but with the problems of funding clouding the education system, the nation risks the

wellbeing of not only each individual student but itself as a whole.

 Works Cited

Biddle, Bruce J, and David C Berliner. “A Research Synthesis / Unequal School Funding in the United

States.” ASCD, ASCD, May 2002, www.ascd.org/publications/educational-

leadership/may02/vol59/num08/Unequal-School-Funding-in-the-United-States.aspx. Accessed 6

February 2018.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. The Flat World and Education. Teachers College Press, 2010.

Strauss, Valerie. “How grossly underfunded are public schools?” The Washington Post, The Washington

Post, 25 Nov. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/25/how-

grossly-underfunded-are-public-schools/?utm_term=.434eeea9b55a. Accessed 6 February 2018.