Aaron Garth Smith
Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Aaron Garth Smith is the director of education reform at Reason Foundation.
-
Southern California school districts are serving fewer students and facing massive budget deficits
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, families have also increasingly sought public school alternatives such as charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling.
-
Public school enrollment is plummeting. Here are five things policymakers can do about it.
Between the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 school years, public schools across the country lost 1.2 million students.
-
Public school closures were on the upswing in 2024
In the 15 states examined, public school closures increased in 2023-24.
-
What the birth dearth means for public schools
Fewer students and increased competition will require public institutions to be dynamic and responsive.
-
California taxpayers spent $4 billion on 401,000 students no longer in the state’s public schools
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) collected $508 million for 50,400 ghost students in the 2022-23 school year.
-
Four takeaways from the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest school finance data
With federal data from the 2022 school year now available, policymakers can better grasp how the COVID-19 pandemic affected public school budgets.
-
With federal pandemic aid expiring, Florida shows states how to cost-effectively boost student achievement
Unlike in most states, public schools in Florida don’t have a monopoly over students and their funding.
-
Five key trends in education spending, teacher salaries, staffing and test scores
Total inflation-adjusted education spending increased by 25% per student while average teacher salaries fell by 0.6% from 2002 to 2020.
-
Homeschooling is on the rise, even as the pandemic recedes
As of May 2023, 85% of students are enrolled in public schools, 9.6% attend private schools, and 5.4% are homeschooled.
-
How K-12 education is funded
Funding for K-12 public education is a shared responsibility between federal, state, and local governments.
-
Pennsylvania public schools need funding reform, not more money
Data show Pennsylvania schools are well funded. But how this funding gets to students is a problem.
-
How state education funding formulas work
Funding formulas collect and distribute education dollars to schools.
-
Why teacher salaries are flat as school spending soars
Benefit costs, staffing trends and class sizes may explain why teacher salaries have remained flat while K-12 education spending has grown.
-
Improving K-12 open enrollment transparency is low-hanging fruit for state policymakers
Parents and policymakers need transparent data about public school transfers.
-
Has Texas defunded public schools?
Between 2002 and 2020, inflation-adjusted education spending in Texas increased by 16%, going from $11,473 per student to $13,346 per student.
-
How Texas can improve the state’s student transfer law
State policymakers can remove barriers for families by pursuing three policy reforms that would modernize the student-transfer law.
-
The NCAA should embrace the free market when it comes to player compensation
The NCAA is hell-bent on capping how much players can earn from name, image and likeness deals.
-
Wisconsin’s open enrollment policy success is a model for states looking to increase educational opportunities
Wisconsin's public school open enrollment program has grown from serving less than 3,000 students in the 1998-99 school year to 70,428 students in the 2020-21 school year.