Limit your response to each question to approximately 50 words per question. Include textbook references at the bottom of your initial post (APA format).

For clarity, please label the different sections of your initial response by chapter.

References: Owings, W. A., & Kaplan, L. S. (2013). American public school finance. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Chapter 1

• Misconception 1: The United States spends more on education than any other country.
• Misconception 2: Education costs have skyrocketed in the last few years while test scores have gone down.
• Misconception 3: Spending more money on education does not mean better achievement results.
• Misconception 4: Educator salaries are high in comparison with other professions with similar qualifications.
• Misconception 5: There are too many school administrators compared with 30 years ago.

1. Why do these misconceptions continue to perpetuate? What should our role be in debunking these misconceptions?

2. Why do you think US spending on education as a percentage of GDP is ranked 14th out of 29 countries as shown in Table 1.1?

3. How do teacher salaries compare with other occupations that require a Bachelor's degree as a minimum qualification? What do you say to someone who says teacher salaries are high considering children are only in school for about 6.5 hours a day over a 10-month period?

4. If the number of school administrators were cut back, wouldn't that action allow for a significant pay raise for teachers?

Chapter 13

1. What are the critical and emerging education issues in your state and locality?

2. What has been the effect of the Great Recession on the education budgets in your state and locality?

3. What are the pros and cons of charter schools? What does the research say about their effectiveness?

Chapter 2

1. The federal Department of Education was established in 1867 and the following year was downgraded to a federal Office of Education. It took 111 years to be upgraded to the Department of Education. There have been calls to eliminate the department. Should we have a federal Department of Education? Explain your answer.

2. Depression legislation in 1935 led to what we know as the School Lunch Act. What percentage of students in your school is eligible for free or reduced-price lunches? Should this be the responsibility of the school system?

3. Russia launched Sputnik in 1957. The U.S. Congress passed the National Defense Education Act in 1958 that infused millions of dollars to strengthen education.  If Sputnik had been launched last year would Congress have acted the same way by giving money to strengthen public schools? Explain how you think Congress would act today.

4. What has happened to educators' salaries in your state since the Great Recession began? What effect has that had on teacher morale?

Chapter 3

1. What percentage of revenue comes from federal, state, and local sources?

2. What drives funding in education - equal funding, equitable funding, or adequate funding? Why is equal per-pupil funding not a good idea?

3. How did the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution impact school funding in terms of equal funding?