Education as a social determinant of health: underfunding public schools may perpetuate systemic injustices that negatively impact students' health

Stefanie Rosen

doi:10.17918/00011118

This dissertation examines the extent to which funding public education through property taxes contributes to and perpetuates inequities in access to adequate educational opportunities, which has implications for students' health. In the United States, each school district receives different rates and proportions of funding from their localities, states, and the federal government. These allocations vary across localities, as individual cities and towns have flexibility in how they spend their resources, and affluent areas typically have higher tax bases and therefore more resources to spend. In school districts with lower public education funding (e.g., per pupil spending), students have lower test scores and higher dropout rates, which has long-term implications for their health and economic productivity. In February 2023, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the public education funding formula was unconstitutional, and mandated a revision to this funding system. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Policy Process Framework, I first described why inadequate public education financing is a public health problem, then conducted an analysis of public education reforms in other states, drafted policies that could be implemented in Pennsylvania to address the court mandate, and outlined strategies to implement the recommended policies. To inform the policy recommendations, I interviewed experts and advocates in public education and children's health, reviewed and synthesized research evaluating the effectiveness of education finance-related policies in other states, and considered relevant stakeholders and potential partners that could assist with the enactment of education finance reform in Pennsylvania. Based on the data collected, I developed five goals for reforming the public education finance system in Pennsylvania: increasing overall expenditures for education, teacher and staff retention, improving equity, ensuring taxpayer buy-in, and promoting community engagement. Next, I discussed a range of stakeholders and potential supporters who could facilitate implementation of the proposed policies to improve public education funding. Finally, I considered dissemination strategies and drafted an evaluation plan to assess the extent to which the proposed policies may improve students' academic achievement and health outcomes, and eventually advance population health more broadly in Pennsylvania.

Education as a social determinant of health: underfunding public schools may perpetuate systemic injustices that negatively impact students' health

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Education as a social determinant of health: underfunding public schools may perpetuate systemic injustices that negatively impact students' health

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