State education finance systems play a crucial role in providing the resources that schools and districts need to ensure student success. But modernizing these systems to reflect changing needs is often cumbersome and complicated. 

Lasting Change: A Policy Playbook for Improving State K-12 Finance Systems builds on the framework we created in our previous publication, Making Change, to offer more concrete guidance for advocates, policymakers, and education leaders looking to influence K-12 funding reform.  

We found five common conditions that paved the way to success: 

Condition 1: Strong, Diverse Coalitions
Condition 2: Willing Political Champions
Condition 3: Rigorous, Accessible Research
Condition 4: Windows of Economic Opportunity
Condition 5: Valid Legal Challenges 

To read more of Bellwether’s work around state education finance systems, visit our landing page here.