A recent Thomas B. Fordham Institute report reveals some shocking truths. The proposal, called Fund the Child: Tackling Inequity and Antiquity in School Finance, "offers a comprehensive solution to the most pressing problems in American education." These problems include the fact that in a majority of the states there's a funding gap between wealthy and low-income school districts that averages almost $900 per student.

From the study:

"Closing the achievement gap is the civil rights issue of our time," said former Secretary of Education Rod Paige, a trustee of the Fordham Institute. "Nearly everyone agrees that all young Americans should achieve at high levels regardless of class or special needs. But innumerable studies and plenty of direct experience show that a quality education costs more for some than it does for others. Under today?s school-funding arrangements, however, the children who need the greatest education resources frequently end up with the least."