Student Opportunity Tracker
How Does Michigan Compare?
Research recommends that students from low-income backgrounds need 100% to 200% more funding than their peers from more advantaged backgrounds due to the various challenges associated with learning in poverty. In Michigan, investing in our students from low-income backgrounds at the levels recommended by research means that Michigan would invest anywhere from $6.5 to $13 billion dollars annually. Massachusetts, widely considered a leading education state, in 2019 redesigned its state funding formula to move closer to those researched-backed recommendations – establishing weights of 40% to more than 100%. If Michigan funded students from low-income backgrounds like Massachusetts, we would invest more than $5 billion dollars annually. Instead, Michigan’s Opportunity Index, when funded as written in current law, would invest closer to $3 billion dollars. Unfortunately, this year, Michigan is only scratching the surface of what is needed, with an investment of slightly more than $1 billion dollars.
| Student Opportunity Tracker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan’s Current Prorated Opportunity Index Funding | Michigan’s Opportunity Index as Written in Law | Massachusetts Funding Model | What Research Says is Needed | |
| Weights | 12.4% to 16.7% | 35% to 47% | 40% to 101% | 100% to 200% more |
| Total Estimated Investment | $1.0 billion | $2.9 billion | $5.3 billion | $6.5 - $13.1 billion |
Student Opportunity Tracker – How Does Michigan Compare?
Sources:
Duncombe, W. and Yinger, J. (2004). “How Much More Does a Disadvantaged Student Cost?” Center for Policy Research. 103. https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/103/