Allocation of resources and educational adequacy: Case studies of school-level resource use in Southern California Title I program improvement middle schools

State and federal legislation and litigation reflect the belief and hope that public education may eradicate poverty, sustain a democratic society, and maintain a powerful economy. The current standards and accountability movement provides a stage for examining the interaction between educational resources as inputs in relation to student achievement outcomes.;Researchers currently explore connections between instructional practices associated with dramatic student achievement gains and necessary personnel and materials to implement those practices. Their findings hold the potential for identifying the true costs of adequately educating K-12 students.;At a time of fiscal stress in California, this study supports the search for the best possible educational outcomes given limited financial resources. After examining evidence-based instructional practices associated with student achievement as well as several "costing out" approaches, the investigator will conduct a series of case studies of Title I Program Improvement middle schools to describe efforts to raise student achievement when the stakes are high, and to compare these efforts to the Evidence-Based Model for costing out an education in which essentially all students attain academic proficiency.