The Alabama Board of Education Had Best Clean Up Its Act

[Joods]

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Where that funding is applied is a huge factor as well.  For example, spending it on administration doesn't seem likely to have a positive effect on educational outcome.

Truth. Example: The district we are in gets $25,000 a year for every special needs student in the district. That money is supposed to go towards things the student needs. It could be anything. An aid, personal care assistant, assistive technology devices - literally anything. So being aware of this and of IDEA, when I had my first IEP meeting with this district 16 years ago, I told them that I knew the money was there and that I would make sure they spent it on my kid, as they were supposed to. 

I attended school board meetings, got other parents of special needs kids involved so they would also know that there was money earmarked specifically for their kids. 

Sometimes being the squeaky wheel works. Other times it doesn't. But in our case, it did, because this district actually gives a damn about all of its students. Not just the ones who excel academically.