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 Reports / Publications

Below are several recent reports produced by APA:

Costing Out the Resources Needed to Meet Pennsylvania Public Education Goals

This costing out study is designed to help state policymakers understand the level of resources schools and districts need in order to meet state education performance goals, including having 100 percent of students reach proficiency in reading and math by 2014.  APA was hired by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education to conduct this comprehensive study.
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Costs and Funding of Virtual Schools

Prepared for the BellSouth Foundation, this report examines the costs involved to start, operate, and grow virtual schools and includes a discussion of funding options for those states that are interested in supporting virtual school programs.
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Estimating the Cost of an Adequate Education in Montana
Estimating the Cost of an Adequate Education in Nevada
Identifying and Meeting the Challenges Facing the Allentown School District

Prepared for a group of local business leaders, CEOs, and other county-level civic leaders, this report examines the economic and fiscal challenges facing the third largest urban school district in Pennsylvania.  Gathering together a variety of data on property taxes, wealth per student, teacher turnover, student demographics, and performance, APA worked to determine whether inequities existed in the resources available to the Allentown City School District. Based on data gathering, analysis, and interviews with county leaders and district superintendents, APA was able to document in this report significant resource disparities that led the state legislature to provide nearly $11 million in new funding for the district.
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Profiles of Success: Eight Colorado Schools That Are Closing the Achievement Gap

Schools that are closing the achievement gap between students from lower and higher socio-economic backgrounds have important common characteristics, according to this joint study conducted by the Donnell-Kay Foundation and Augenblick, Palaich & Associates, Inc.  The study examines eight schools in Colorado who have made significant progress in closing the gap, and identifies commonalities across these schools.


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Summary of APA Expertise

This brief, two page document summarizes the types of services and expertise that APA can provide for its customers.
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York County Education Study

Creating a new, county-wide cyber charter school and a county-wide research and best practices clearinghouse are just two of the key recommendations that APA identified in a new study of the 16 school districts in York County, Pennsylvania.  APA was hired to analyze the districts, interview superintendents, and use research and other data to produce recommendations to help the districts cooperate more effectively and improve performance. 

APA also developed a method for comparing resource use (across several staffing, compensation, and spending categories) in the York County districts with other districts around the state.  The purpose of this analysis was to help gauge how efficient or inefficient the York districts appear to be be when compared to their peers.
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 News

Posted on: 07/08/2008
Pennsylvania has signed into law legislation which, based on APA's recommendations, raises funding for public education by nearly $275 million -- an historic increase for the state.  The state also adopted APA's recommendations on how the money can most effectively be distributed to school districts.  These recommendations include recognizing higher costs associated with helping children in poverty and English language learners achieve state performance standards.  They also include cost adjustments that recognize differences in district size and regional cost of living. Click here for APA's full Pennsylvania costing-out report.  Click here for a press release from Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell.

 Testimonials

"In 2006, the Delaware Public Policy Institute needed the answer to the question: 'what is the real cost of providing a truly effective education for all public school students in the state of Delaware.' We looked across the country at the firms that analyze public education finance and chose to work with Augenblick, Palaich and Associates. The firm was a pleasure to work with and answered the question in a way that engaged the business community in Delaware."
-John Taylor, Executive Director
Delaware Public Policy Institute