Education and Policy Review

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts in education finance, policies, and analyses.

Education Costs

Average spending per public school student in the U.S. is $12,000.

Personnel Expenditure

The vast majority of school funds are allocated toward personnel.

Coleman Report

A 1966 report identifying stark disparities in resources available to white vs. non-white students.

Jackson, Johnson, and Persico

Economists who studied school districts before and after finance reforms.

Flypaper Effect

Describes how earmarked education funds tend to 'stick' more than general aid.

Mill

A term that represents 1/1000th.

State Equalized Value

The term used in Michigan for the taxable value of a property.

60 Cents

The amount received when levying one mill of taxation on $600.

Going Out for a Millage

Term for schools seeking additional tax dollars through a ballot.

Guaranteed Tax Base Program

A state mechanism ensuring poor districts can raise the same revenue from a mill as wealthier ones.

No Child Left Behind

A federal initiative that led to improved math scores for grades 4 and 8.

School Choice

Market-based school system proposed by Milton Friedman including charter schools and private vouchers.

Negative Academic Impacts

Research indicating the adverse effects of private school vouchers on student performance.

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program

Program studying the impact of competition on school performance.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Policy that replaced No Child Left Behind.

Key Findings of NCLB

Reported by authors Dee and Jacob.

Readings

Activities often ignored by students even though material may appear on tests.

Community Response Approach

A Colorado study examining the effects of non-police responders for mental health crises.

Violent Crime

Type of crime that decreased according to a Chicago study on summer jobs.

Event History Analysis

Research design used by Jackson, Johnson, and Persico to study school finance reform.

The Patriot Act

Act passed shortly after 9/11 to enhance law enforcement investigation tools.

2001 AUMF

Law granting the president broad authority to combat terrorism abroad.

CIA

Intelligence agency that led the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

Covert Action

Secret operations carried out by the U.S. government.

Title 50

Legal code establishing the authority for the CIA.

Congress

The only branch of the U.S. government that can formally declare war.

AUMF

Type of Congressional resolution authorizing the President to use military force without declaring war.

WWII

Last formal declaration of war by the U.S.

Scope

Key difference between a declaration of war and an AUMF.

Response to Direct Attack

What is needed before military force is executed after a direct incident.

81%

Percentage of US male students graduating from high school.

35%

Percentage of 4th graders proficient in reading.

8%

Percentage of total K–12 funding contributed by the federal government.

10 Percentage Points

Increase noted in performance strategies.

17%

Percentage of charter schools outperforming public schools.

Sunny Days

Confounding factor that increases both sunburns and ice cream consumption.

Randomized Control Trial

Considered the gold standard in research design.

Regression Discontinuity

Type of research design with high internal validity.

Quasi-Experimental Design

Includes difference and difference and regression discontinuity.

Selection Bias

Issue arising when students with high anxiety opt into a study.

Segregation

Practice still prevalent in US schools according to the Coleman Report.

Peers

This group plays a large role in determining student achievement.

Low-Income Students of Color

Demographic showing the largest gains from NCLB.

Ohio State

University of Michigan's biggest rival.

Standardized Test Scores

Many colleges made this optional during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Counterfactual

Concept in policy analysis relating to causality.

Descriptive Analysis Question

Focuses on inquiring about data without guessing.

Internal Validity

A crucial aspect for the reliability of a study's claims.

Spurious Correlation

When two trends rise without one causing the other.

Predictive Analysis (Modeling)

Techniques employed to forecast outcomes using data.

No Excuses

Charter schools following this model saw improved test scores.

Logic Model

Used for designing and evaluating social programs.

Reverse Causality

The idea that instead of X causing Y, Y causes X.

Omitted Variable Bias

The error left after excluding an important factor from analysis.

Theory of Change

Illustrates the relationship between inputs, outputs, and outcomes.

Department of State

Agency managing the Foreign Terrorist Organization list.

Foreign Militaries

US rarely collaborates with these in covert operations.

UAVs

Used to minimize US military casualties.

3.4 Ounces

Amount of liquid permitted in carry-on containers.

USAID

Department with reduced funding not primarily focused on counterterrorism.

Microsimulation Modeling

Empirical analysis used for predicting outcomes in uncertain policy scenarios.