Arizona is frequently cited as a state whose funding for schools is less than most of the other states, usually tied for last with a handful of other states. But while it recently ranked 47th in total spending and funding in a study shown at educationdata.com, it is ranked number one among the states for academic growth and charter schools.
Matthew Ladner, director of the Arizona Center for Educational Opportunity, a researcher with the Arizona Charter Schools Association, and former vice president of research for the Goldwater Institute, spoke with the Arizona Sun Times, asking, “If you had to choose between states with the most funding or states with the most academic growth, which one would you choose?”
Ladner added that low-income students score better in Arizona than they do in any other state by large margins.
The Center for Education Reform (CER) issued its state 2022 rankings and scorecard last week, which showed Arizona bumping Florida out of the top spot. The survey ranks states in multiple categories such as growth, independence, teacher freedom, and various types of funding. Arizona’s scores for funding are only average, meaning the schools are doing quite well despite not being the best-funded. Charter schools generally do not receive as much funding as regular public schools.
Read the rest of the article at The Arizona Sun Times
