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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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Oklahoma’s Outdated Education Funding System Is Costing Students Hundreds of Millions of Education Dollars Each Year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Learning happens everywhere and it’s time for outdated education policies to reflect this.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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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.
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Examining Legislation to Expand Open Enrollment in Arizona
Arizona lawmakers are looking to remove barriers preventing public school students from attending a school outside of their residentially assigned school district as well as more easily find transportation to their school of choice.
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Three Things Policymakers Can Do to Improve School Finance Systems Right Now
There are practical and prudent steps policymakers can take to help schools support kids in the coming school year.
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As Schools and Families Deal With COVID-19, California Needs to Let Education Funding Follow Kids to Their Schools
California is generously funding schools that lost students, while short-changing schools that are better serving families during the coronavirus pandemic.