Albuquerque Public Schools v. Southwestern Regional School Districts: How Does Spending and Student Performance Stack Up?

Public education is often seen as the backbone of the economy and society at large, as the quality of public education in America greatly affects the opportunities of future generations. The debate about educational quality has focused largely on how much states and local educational agencies spend on K-12 education. In New Mexico, a state with one of the lowest student performance levels in the country, the state legislature has increased the education budget in recent years in hopes of improving student outcomes. However, there is more to the picture than overall funding amounts.