But to ignore the question of resources is naive. Given the compelling needs of so many city students and the push to hold schools more accountable for achievement, some argue that urban schools deserve a greater share of public resources. That argument has yet to persuade many policymakers.
Some urban districts spend more per student than their statewide average.
In other states, they spend less. Those figures are adjusted for regional differences in the cost of education and the added expense of educating more students with special needs. Some urban systems spend significantly less than the affluent suburban communities that surround them. But urban schools all too often hurt their own case. But little of the money has been spent for actual school repairs.