Aaron Garth Smith
Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Aaron Garth Smith is the director of education reform at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets.
Smith works extensively on education finance policy and his writing has appeared in numerous publications including Education Week, The Hill, Orange County Register, and Los Angeles Daily News.
Prior to joining Reason, Smith was senior director of analytics at YES Prep Public Charter Schools, a nationally-renowned charter management organization.
Aaron graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a Master of Business Administration from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. He is based in Houston, Texas.
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Examining Student Transfer Data in Texas
Three percent of Texas students transferred to a school outside of their home district in the 2018-19 school year.
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Gov. Newsom’s Misguided Proposal for California’s Education Funding Formula
The key to promoting both flexibility and fairness is better transparency and California can do this with better data, not more bureaucracy.
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Oklahoma’s Outdated Education Funding System Is Costing Students Hundreds of Millions of Education Dollars Each Year
Education dollars should follow students to the school they are actually attending.
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Legislation in Arizona Would Pave the Way for Educational Innovation
Learning happens everywhere and it’s time for outdated education policies to reflect this.
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Idaho’s National Education Spending Ranking Does Not Tell the State’s Full School Funding Story
Policymakers would be wise to focus on fixing the state’s antiquated school funding formula before deciding to allocate additional education funds.
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Public School District Boundaries Are a Relic of The Past
State open enrollment education policies are in dire need of modernization.
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Analysis of Texas School District Open Enrollment Data
Three percent of Texas students transferred to a traditional public school outside of their assigned school district in the 2018-2019 school year.
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Do Texas Charter Schools Receive More Funding Than the State’s School Districts?
Charter schools receive about $813 less per pupil on average than traditional public schools, a discrepancy that is driven by facilities funding.
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How Should States Count Students to Calculate School Funding?
School finance systems should base education funding on current enrollment figures to best serve students and promote equity.