Journal Article

Private financing in urban public schools : inequalities in a stratified education marketplace

Laura B. Perry, Emma Rowe

2020

Overview

This study examines inequalities of school funding as exclusively generated by the parent community in urban public schools, and potentially illuminates a secondary impact of between-school segregation. For schools that are largely understood as free, the substantial injections of private financing into public schools indicate a concerning tension for fairness and equity. Using a census dataset of all public schools in one Australian capital city (n = 150), we compare reported parent 'contributions, fees and charges' and how they are patterned by measures of school disadvantage and advantage. We found a statistically significant relationship between private financing and measures of school- based advantage or disadvantage, over a four-year period. Advantaged schools generate up to six times greater income in comparison to disadvantaged schools over a four-year period, and we argue that the substantial gaps function as another form of 'compounded disadvantage' for residualised public schools and a tiered effect of segregation. [Author abstract]

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Absenteeism / Academic achievement / Accountability / Advantaged / Census figures / Comparative Analysis / Correlation / Disadvantaged / Disadvantaged Schools / Education / Education finance / Educational Change / Educational Environment / Educational Equity (Finance) / Educational Finance / Educational Objectives / Educational Policy and Politics / Educational Psychology / Educational Research / Educational Trends / Equal Education / Equality (Social) / Fees / Fees & charges / Foreign Countries / Fund Raising / Government School Relationship / Government schools / Income / Learner Engagement / Learning / Longitudinal Studies / Lunch Programs / Middle Class / Outcomes of Education / Parent Attitudes / Parent Financial Contribution / Parent Participation / Parent School Relationship / Parents & parenting / Poverty / Private education / Private Financial Support / Private Schools / Privatization / Public education / Public Schools / Resource Allocation / School Choice / School environment / School Segregation / Schools / Segregation / Social differences / Socioeconomic factors / Socioeconomic Status / Student Participation / Students / Teachers / Teaching and Teacher Education / Urban Schools