Advancing Equity With Policy

Because Vermont centralizes its education funding at the state level, it is frequently cited as one of the most equitable school finance systems in the United States. While the state has successfully eliminated wealth-based disparities in funding, the persistence of outcome gaps suggests that its education funding does not meet the goals of increased equity and adequacy.

From a funding perspective, Vermont appears to meet the criteria for both horizontal and vertical equity. Unlike the vast majority of states, funding is not a product of local property wealth and weighted pupil adjustments allocate additional resources to students with greater needs. In this sense, Vermont satisfies the core definition of equity outlined by Baker and Green (2015), as similarly situated students receive comparable resources while those with additional needs receive more. However, this resource-based definition of equity assumes that equalizing the inputs will subsequently produce equalized outcomes.

Adequacy presents a similar dissonance since Vermont’s per-pupil spending far exceeds national averages, but there is no clear evidence that this level of investment guarantees students meet a high level of academic proficiency. The National Assessment of Educational Progress 2024 data revealed that only 29% of Vermont eighth-grade students scored at or above Proficient in mathematics, with substantial gaps between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024). These results coincide with critiques from Hanushek (2007), who argues that adequacy often alludes to precision without establishing a causal link between spending levels and student achievement. In  Vermont, the state has attempted to figure out how much to spend without resolving whether that spending is sufficient to produce desired outcomes.

While Vermont has addressed disparities in local fiscal capacity, it has not fully addressed inequities in educational opportunity. The disparity between intent and impact is best explained by the competing definitions of equity, as one is focused on equalizing resources and another is focused on equalizing outcomes. Vermont has largely achieved the former but continues to struggle with the latter (Costrell, 2005). There are three alternative pathways to measure equity and adequacy, other than the dollar amounts of education funding. The first is that Vermont should track Grade 8 mathematics proficiency as a predictor of access to Algebra I and advanced STEM coursework. . Second, policymakers should measure participation equity, including course enrollment in advanced math and science courses, to assess whether increased and targeted funding translates into expanded opportunities for marginalized students. If the achievement and opportunity gap does not close by the next NAEP, Vermont would have to reevaluate how the overall education system allocates funding. The third pathway is to evaluate instructional capacity, including teacher distribution, curriculum quality, and access to rigorous coursework, given that these factors bridge the relationship between funding and outcomes.

Therefore, I believe it is unproductive to evaluate Vermont’s system solely through the lenses of equity and adequacy. Instead, policymakers should base their policy decisions on outcome-based equity to ensure that all students are achieving at levels that enable access to advanced coursework and postsecondary opportunities. 

References

Baker, B. D., & Green, P. C. (2015). Conceptions of equity and adequacy in school finance. In H. F. Ladd & M. E. Goertz (Eds.), Handbook of research in education finance and policy (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Costrell, R. M. (2005). Equity v. equity: Why Education Week and the Education Trust don’t agree.

Downes, T. A., & Stiefel, L. (2015). Measuring equity and adequacy in school finance. In H. F. Ladd & M. E. Goertz (Eds.), Handbook of research in education finance and policy (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Hanushek, E. A. (2007). The confidence men: Selling adequacy, making millions.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics state snapshot report for Vermont, grade 8, 2024 (NCES 2024-219 VT8).