Article Analysis Essay on How Money Matters for Schools

Introduction

The article, How Money Matters for Schools revisits the long-discussed literature about the manner in which money matters in the provision of the quality education, both in the United States and other nations across the world. It integrates the research released since the original brief in 2012 and significantly covers a handful of the additional topics. Increasingly, the article unmasks the fact that the political rhetoric tremendously adheres to the unfounded certainly that money does not differ in the provision of quality education, and that the reduced funding is likely to harm the educational quality. While Baker has succeeded in offering this vital information, several limitations have also been demonstrated in the article. This paper, therefore, provides a critique of Baker's article about the manner in which he has incorporated the required elements that makes a given document the qualities of a research article.

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Title

A close look at the article's title shows that it is explicitly written to convey the intended message. In the article, it is written: "How money matters for schools." This article is undeniably clear and expresses the author's full intentions regarding giving the insights about the manner in which money, as a resource, is vital to the provision of quality education.

Abstract

Looking at the abstract, it is undeniable too that it is specific and representative of all elements and issues discussed throughout the article. In the abstract, Baker recognizes that the question of whether or not money makes a difference for the school outcomes has been subjected to substantial debate across the world. However, through the review of the research on the role of money in the determination of the school quality, Baker affirms that money matters in relations to the student's performance. Secondly, the school resources that cost money are positively linked to the performance of the student.

Purpose of the Study

At the introduction, Baker has skillfully explained the use of the research paper. He mentions that the use of the document was to provide a presentation of the brief explanation of the goals of the school finance reforms. Besides, it gives the summaries of the main bodies of evidence that illustrate how equitable and adequate school funding fosters the learning outcomes among the student. Finally, the article closes with the information regarding how certain kinds of specific investments can help foster to accomplish these outcomes.

Errors of Fact and Interpretation

There are no noticeable errors of fact and interpretation associated with Baker's article. Primarily, Baker's review was based on the three fundamental areas of research. These include if money matters, if schooling resources that cost money matter, and if the fiscal reforms that provide more equitable and adequate funding matter. The explanations for each area are vividly supported by empirical studies and pieces of evidence that illustrate the relationships between various variables such as financial resources and the student's outcome.

About how money matters, the interpretation of the information is comprehensive and convincing. Baker agrees that money does matter when it comes to the provision of quality education (p. 1). On average, in his view, the average per-student expenditure positively correlates with the improved outcomes among the students regarding performance. The magnitude of this impact is highly noticeable in various research compared to others. The additional funding also appears to be vital for a particular group of learners compared to others. Individually, students from the low-class backgrounds who have limited resources to access education are the principal beneficiaries of the improved funding programs.

Concerning whether or not the schooling resources that have monetary value and that cost money matter, Baker reviews, interprets and consequently agrees with the information and facts provided by other studies (p. 6). Notably, he acknowledges that such resources positively correlates with the learning outcomes among the students. Such consequences include smaller sizes, additional teaching aids, the early childhood programs, as well as lucrative teacher compensation. Baker's findings coincide with previous evidence which further showed that in particular situation, financial resources matter and benefitted some students more than others. Finally, Baker interprets and agrees with this notion about the essentiality of school economic reforms (p. 14). Undeniably, the constant developments in the levels and funding allocation across schools districts foster the improvement of the outcomes of the students. While it is evident that money alone cannot be the solution to quality education, more reasonable and sufficient allocation of the financial resources to the learning gives necessary underlying conditions for the improvements of the equity and capability of the results.

The Relevance of the Discussion and Citation

In the article, no section indicates the discussion of the paper. However, following the paper through the introduction, one would realize that the author has incorporated the concepts and ideas of the analysis under the section, "studies of outcomes of financial developments and changes." The discussion, in this case, is substantially relevant to the main issues discussed in the paper. Baker recognizes that the investments in more adequate and equitable approaches to school funding have been delayed for a while by both the revenue challenges as well as the widely held notion of "money does not matter" (p. 7-8). The author has consistently cited the information drawn from other longitudinal studies throughout the paper. The citation, in this case, helps to show the reader that the author has conducted proper research through the listing of sources he used to get his information regarding the importance of money in the provision of quality education. In the same way, the citation in the discussion part has enabled Baker to give credit to other researchers by acknowledging their ideas. As a reader, therefore, I am therefore able to track down the references that Baker used through citing them accurately in his paper by way of footnotes and the bibliography.

Incorporation of Ideas

Baker has tremendously incorporated the ideas from various longitudinal studies to explain how money matters to schools. The establishment of views regarding the subject in a balanced manner. The insights provided revolves around three major areas including whether money matters, schooling resources that cost money matter, financial reforms that provide more equitable and adequate funding matter. Overall, Baker recognizes that the primary resources involved in the production of schooling outcomes of the human resources include the quality and the number of educational instructors, administrators, support as well other staff members within the school (p. 11). Fundamentally, the number of school staffs are reflected through the student-teacher ratio as well as the average number of class sizes. Baker recognizes a study conducted in 2015 that explored how specific schooling resources responded to the changes in the funding programs. The increased funding helps to reduce the class size, which ultimately plays an integral role in improving the students' outcomes regarding performance. It also reduces the gaps among students, particularly the younger students, in addition to those who have been previously low-achieving. Baker agrees that the reduction of young children has tremendous effects on the effects of the class size reduction and the performance of students.

It is important to note that Baker's ability to incorporate the ideas from other studies is crucial in enhancing comparison among the findings from different studies regarding the effects of money on the educational opportunities and the student's achievement (p. 12). Baker incorporates the idea that for state school finance to offer equal educational opportunities, the system itself must be able to adequately provide substantial resources with the aim of ensuring the adequacy and equity in higher need (p. 13). To secure the equal quality of education across all the regions, in the United States, for example, the level of money resources must be upped with the aim of permitting districts to retain and recruit teachers about the comparable quality. On a broader note, the wages given to teachers affect their ability to deliver and their willingness to work in any given school. In this way, the students' ability to perform well in their education and other school activities are influenced.

Sections Critique

The article is divided into different parts, which gives the reader a comprehensive idea and insights regarding the aspects of the topic being discussed in every chapter. The article encompasses various sections such as the abstracts, introduction, the literature review, conclusions, and the references. In my view, no part should be deleted or omitted because of the vital information that each carries. The statements used by the authors as well as the information from other sources demonstrate the high level of clarity. The clarity, in this case, is achieved through the recognition of the authors of the information used, as well as the citation or footnotes use at the end of the statements. Readers cannot only know the source of the report, but also understand the relationship between the previous studies, and the current studies, in addition to the gap that exists regarding the topic.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that the author has been objective throughout his discussion of how money matters in schools. He has consistently used valid information from various studies about the topic. The helps to show the reader that the author has conducted proper research through the listing of sources he used to get his information regarding the importance of money in the provision of quality education. The objectivity, in this case, is demonstrated by the desire and the move to focus his discussion on the three primary areas that include whether money matters, schooling resources that cost money matter, and financial reforms that provide more equitable and adequate funding matter.

References

Baker, B. D. (2017). How money matters for schools. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute