First generation resource allocation studies examined relationships between student learning and the availability of resources to a school or district. This article analyzes the transition from these early inquiries to more recent studies of resource flow into the individual classroom, and considers the contributions economists can make to such…

Suggests that evaluations of educational input-output studies frequently overlook some basic characteristics of the nation's schools as a whole, which, when conjoined with economic theory, permit viewing the results of these studies as neither counter intuitive nor damaging to the education profession. (Author/DN)

Describes a conceptual framework for cost-effectiveness analysis that attempts to determine the relative impact of the different input variables on the output measures. Applies the model to a school district. (Author/JM)