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.
Prior to joining Reason, Smith was senior director of analytics at YES Prep Public Charter Schools, a nationally-renowned charter management organization serving over 12,000 students in Houston.
Smith has worked in numerous states on school finance reforms and his writing has appeared in various publications, including Education Week, Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News and Los Angeles Business Journal.
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. Aaron is based in Houston, Texas.
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Weighted-Student Formula Pilot Program In Federal Education Budget Could Have a Big Impact
The weighted-student funding pilot proposal has the potential to make education spending more fair for students, especially in low-income areas.
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Awarding Education Dollars for Student Outcomes May Sound Good, but There’s a Better Type of Performance-Based Funding: School Choice
The last thing public education needs is yet another technocratic attempt to engineer better outcomes.
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School Funding Disparities Should Alarm All, Not Just Those Who Lean Left
Not only are they manifestly unfair, but they also prevent educational freedom from flourishing.
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Teachers Unions and School Districts Won’t Be Able to Blame Charter Schools Much Longer
When you examine LAUSD’s results, it’s easy to understand why students and parents might be fleeing for better educations.
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Here’s What Texas Should Do, And Avoid, To Reform School Finance
Texas' school finance system is riddled with complexities that diminish fairness and productivity.
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LAUSD Must Resist Mandates That Restrict Flexibility And Increase Inequality
LAUSD is facing a fiscal cliff.
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How Some Local Funding Quirks Are Blocking School Choice
Sweeping changes to the school finance system are receiving high marks. But there's still work to be done.
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Unfair Local Education Funding Keeps Schools From Accepting Students Across District Lines. Here Are Some Ways to Fix That
For state policymakers, the lesson is clear: Funding equity is a key component of educational choice.
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Five Recommendations to Solve LAUSD’s Looming Fiscal Crisis
The process of right-sizing Los Angeles Unified School District presents an opportunity to lay the foundation for a 21st-century education system that’s productive, agile, and responsive to the needs of students.