Double or Nothing, States Betting It All on Performance and Outcomes-Based Funding and the Implications for Equity

This chapter addresses the effects of POBF measures on four-year MSIs in states that have made a significant investment in performance-based funding measures. Two states, Ohio and Tennessee, serve as the focus of this chapter, and their POBF data are analyzed in depth. In both states, a significant amount of school funding is dependent on performance measures, and HBCUs are faring seemingly well. Considering these outcomes, it is imperative to understand how states are accounting for equity in their policy to ensure MSIs are not disadvantaged. Thus, this chapter gives a detailed overview of factors considered in both Ohio’s and Tennessee’s funding formulas and how those factors specifically affect MSIs in those states.