Spending Choices and School Autonomy: Lessons From Ohio Elementary Schools
This study examines resource allocation patterns across elementary schools and how these patterns differ depending, in part, on various levels of autonomy over resources at the school level.
Two Alternative Yet Complementary Conceptual Frameworks for Financing American Education
In this working paper, Michael Kirst suggests that a productive education system would focus relatively greater resources on out-of-school interventions, especially for the most disadvantaged children. He argues that such interventions could help teachers and students focus on instruction and actually increase student learning.
Beyond the Battle Lines: Lessons From New York’s Charter Caps Fight
The report examines lessons from New York’s experience with charter caps politics and provides policy considerations relevant to the growing number of states in which charter schools are reaching their legislated limit.
Leadership to Date, Leadership Tomorrow: A Review of Data on Charter School Directors
This report reviews the available data to describe the current corps of charter school leaders: how they are prepared, how they experience their work, and the institutional strategies in place to sustain and transition leadership.
Identifying and Replicating the DNA of Successful Charter Schools: Lessons from the Private Sector
This brief begins with a look at the main problems faced by organizations attempting to replicate charter schools at scale, followed by a summary of lessons from the for-profit and nonprofit sectors about the process of replicating complex organizations.
Toward Effective Resource Use: Assessing How Education Dollars Are Spent
This paper shows how districts can assess the efficiency of their own resource use compared to similar districts and judge whether non-instructional expenditures are excessive.
Resource Allocation in Traditional and Reform-Oriented Collective Bargaining Agreements
When school boards enter contracts with teachers unions, they determine the use of nearly half of all the funds available to public education. In this paper Julia Koppich looks at an important source of resource allocation decisions—teacher collective bargaining agreements.
A New Approach to the Cost of Teacher Turnover
This paper explores ways districts can reduce the costs (in terms of lost school productivity and lost training investments) of teacher turnover.
Incentive-Based Financing of Schools
This report analyzes the incentives under which public school teachers and leaders work. It concludes that there are few rewards for producing high levels of student achievement and many rewards for work that does not promote student learning.
School Finance Systems and Their Responsiveness to Performance Pressures: A Case Study of North Carolina
New accountability systems require that states and districts accomplish something never accomplished before—ensuring that all students meet state standards. This report explores how these expectations have altered resource decisions in North Carolina.