Use of education finance data is ubiquitous. Yet, because the academic calendar circumscribes two calendar years, researchers have linked the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to three different dates: fall, spring, and academic fiscal years. We demonstrate that linking the CPI to these different academic years results in identifying different trends in…

The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee of the Alaska Legislature has asked The Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage to make certain changes and adjustments to the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) that the American Institutes for Research (AIR) constructed and reported on in Alaska…

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the cost-of-living allowance used in the Alaska Public School Foundation Program (PSFP) to the actual cost of providing educational services in different regions of the state. The focus of this examination is on "instructional unit allotments," the factor in the…

In 1998, the demand for educators in Alaska reached an all-time high. The shortage was most critical for music, math, and special education teachers, as well as for counselors. Filling positions in rural areas is especially difficult. An early retirement incentive program has caused a drain on Alaska's pool of teachers. Factors that inhibit…