[ad_1]<\/p>\n
Increased investment in public schools pays off through reductions in adult crime, according to a new University of Michigan study.<\/p>\n
The Education Policy Initiative<\/a> brief, Public School Funding, School Quality, and Adult Crime<\/a>, investigates the correlation between increased funding for public schools and reduced crime rates. Using data from the Michigan Department of Education, Center for Educational Performance, National Student Clearinghouse and Michigan State Police, the authors tracked two groups of students from kindergarten to adulthood.<\/p>\n \u201cMichigan\u2019s school funding equalization process led to otherwise similar students receiving drastically different funding amounts during elementary school,\u201d the report says. \u201cSome students with \u2018luck\u2019 attended elementary school in a school district and year in which the state assigned large increases in spending in order to equalize funds across districts.\u201d<\/p>\n The authors, E. Jason Baron<\/a>, Joshua Hyman<\/a> and Brittany Vasquez<\/a>, compared the outcomes of the \u201ctreated\u201d students with \u201ccontrol\u201d students\u2014those attending schools in districts and years that did not receive large funding increases.<\/p>\n Tracking the outcomes of these two groups of students, the researchers come to several conclusions:<\/p>\n The authors propose two key policy takeaways. First, they emphasize that increases in public school funding early in children\u2019s lives can reduce adult crime.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile many policies focus on the crime-deterring effects of additional policing or tougher criminal justice sanctions, our findings highlight that early investments in children\u2019s lives can prevent contact with the adult criminal justice system,\u201d the researchers say in the study. \u201cSpecifically, our results show that improving public schools can keep children on a path of increased school engagement and completion, thereby lowering their criminal propensity in adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n Second, the authors highlight that increases in public school funding generate important benefits to society, not just improved academic outcomes and educational attainment. Such investments, they add, \u201chave benefits that extend beyond their intended purpose and recipients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n