The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school district spending on Internet access and student achievement, defined by graduation rates, in the state of Florida. Internet funding received for Internet access from E-rate funding administered by the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC) and graduation rates of the 67 school districts in the state of Florida were compared. Further, the data were adjusted for socio-economic status (SES) to determine the relationship between school districts' SES and spending on Internet access. Lastly, school district connectivity and bandwidth were examined to determine whether the ConnectED initiative requirements were related to student achievement and the implementation of school district digital learning programs. E-rate funding and graduation rates were not correlated. Regression and multiple regression analyses demonstrated that Internet spending, bandwidth, and ratio of computers to students did not statistically predict graduation rates during the years of the study.

This study investigated the relationship of statewide high school graduation rates of student ethnic groups from 2002 to 2006 to the four policy pillars of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001: Accountability for Results; Expanded Flexibility and Local Control; Expanded Options for Parents, Strengthening Teacher Quality. The quantitative, non-experimental, multivariate, correlational design addressed four research questions and six hypotheses. The research population was composed of high school students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The predictor variables were the four policy pillars themselves. Data were collected through archival reports from the Education Commission of the States (ECS) and State Accountability Report Workbooks provided by state departments of education to create an index of implementation to determine the extent to which the four policy pillars were implemented. The criterion variable was high school graduation rate split across student ethnic groups. Graduation rates of subgroup student populations were collected from the Average Freshman Graduation Rates archives for the ninth grade cohort entering in 2001 and exiting in 2006. Data were analyzed both by a one-factor correlational analysis of covariance with one covariate to determine the impact of each NCLB policy pillar, and by a four-factor analysis of covariance with one covariate to determine the impact of all NCLB policy pillars together. The study found that no significant relationships existed between any of the four NCLB policy pillars, singularly or between all four of the policy pillars together, and statewide high school graduation rates among any student racial or ethnic subgroups for the academic years covered in the study. Reasons for the lack of significant relationships are a source for further study. It is recommended that such studies examine the effect of policy implementation that currently allows: (a) each state to set its own test and measurement standards or its own criteria for teacher certification; (b) parents to keep their children in failing schools even if those children are also failing; and (c) each state to underfund mandates.

Researchers have emphasized higher education accessibility and undergraduate degree completion in the United States for several decades. A significant amount of literature has examined student financial resources' role in influencing the completion of a bachelor’s degree. Not much research exists on how institutional financial resources relate to and impact undergraduate graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to gauge how accurately institutional financial resources predicted undergraduate degree completion rates. The study investigated a random sample of 193 four-year colleges and universities classified as baccalaureate institutions by the Carnegie Classification system. The data collection process extracted institutional information from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a publicly accessible database administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The study obtained the financial resources and completion rates data from the IPEDS Finance and IPEDS Graduation Rates reports. The study used a correlational research design and multiple linear regression analysis to assess college and university financial resources’ influence on graduation rates. The study found a statistically significant relationship between institutions' financial resources and six-year undergraduate completion rates. Future studies should consider examining the relationship between specific revenue and expense items and using one accounting method.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between funding and the attainment of a high school diploma for students with a disability in the state of Michigan. The high school graduation rate continues to remain stagnate for students with disabilities in the state of Michigan. The research examined the role of school finance and special education outcomes. The data utilized for this study consisted of 319 school districts and 53 ISDs and was obtained from MDE and CEPI websites. Descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model were utilized to address the research questions. Resource dependency theory was the theoretical framework that guided this quantitative study. The findings of this study provide an overview of the variation in per pupil expenditures that exist amongst districts and ISDs and its relationship to high school graduation rates for students with disabilities. In conclusion, sufficient resources are needed to improve outcomes for students, especially for students with disabilities.

Schools invest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to prepare students for workplaces where technological skills have become essential. In 2009, policymakers in North Carolina developed a State School Technology Plan (SSTP) designed to enhance student achievement through the use of educational technology in the classroom. The plan was supported by North Carolina’s State Technology Fund, among other sources. While many studies address the relationship between educational technology and student achievement, few assesses the relationship between school technology expenditures and high school graduation rates in particular. This study helps to fill that gap by exploring the relationship between North Carolina public schools’ State School Technology Plan (SSTP) expenditures and their high school graduation rates, using school district-level data from 2014 to 2019 for 111 Local Education Agencies. My results provide evidence of a positive relationship when expenditures are measured contemporaneously, but a negative relationship when expenditures are measured cumulatively. The magnitudes of these estimates are relatively small, and I find no evidence of variation in this relationship between school districts with different student characteristics.