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In$ite Chart #3:
Instruction by category and Instructional Support
Download chart in PDF
(45 KB)
What you are looking at:
Chart #3 removes two large categories: Operations and
Leadership, in order to assess the costs directly
related to supporting the child, the teacher or the
classroom. This chart includes an aggregate of all five
Instruction sub-categories – classroom teachers,
substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, classroom
technology and classroom materials – and Instructional
Support – which includes pupil support (guidance,
library, extracurricular and student health), teacher
support (curriculum development, professional
development, etc.) and program support (psychologist,
personal attendants, social workers, et al.). The per
pupil expenditure includes all students, in general
education as well as programs targeted to specific
populations such as English language learners and
special education. This chart does not represent 100% of
the total per pupil expenditure, but graphically shows
the actual of each of the above sub-categories. The
chart is re-sorted once again, high to low, by per pupil
expenditure for Instruction and Instructional Support.
What you are looking for:
You are looking to get a comparative sense of the
state’s investment specifically in teaching and
learning, in the child, the teacher and the classroom.
Bear in mind that district educational decisions such as
class size, the presence of teacher aides, reading
specialists, the specific needs of their students, and
so on will affect these numbers.
More questions than
answers
These charts are not answers or proofs, but merely
lenses that offer us fresh perspectives. Since we have
no standards or ideal expenditures, the charts raise
some questions that should not go unanswered at the
state level. Questions such as:
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Why do certain districts
have such high costs for substitute teachers?
The way In$ite works is to allocate the money spent on
subs hired to cover a teacher engaged in professional
development to the Instructional Support sub-category of
professional development. Those subs, then, are not
included in the Instruction category. The substitute
teacher costs represented in the In$ite Chart #3 apply
only to absences due to illness, personal days and the
like.
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Why do some districts
appear to have many paraprofessionals and others almost
none?
This could be directly proportional to the specific
needs of their student population or the needs of
certain programs. There could also be other
circumstances that affect this area.
Major questions arise about
the relationship of specific investments to results or
student achievement. Again, the state can draw no
conclusions yet.
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