The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and examine the autonomous decision-making process and fiscal strategies used by Evidence-Based Funding Tier-One decision-makers. The processes utilized, factors considered, and results achieved were studied retroactively to learn how school districts approach allocation of Evidence-Based…

This dissertation comprises an examination of how school districts have allocated the resources they received as a result of the Illinois Evidenced-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success law. The law was passed in 2017 with the rationale of providing additional resources to school districts based on evidenced-based approaches, with the vast…

This dissertation in practice will focus on gaining insights into the relationship between money spent on professional development and the Standards Assessment Inventory Scores. The Standards Assessment Inventory is an assessment tool aligned with the Standards of Professional Learning that provides insight into the perceptions of professional…

Athletics at National Collegiate Athletic Association schools have played a major role in the educational experience of students, alumni, and surrounding communities since they were first introduced to college campuses. This study examined the relationship between athletic team fiscal expenditures on athletic and academic success for NCAA Division…

K-12 educational outcomes are a powerful reflection of social opportunity, both by meaningfully predicting adult wellbeing across measures like health and income, and by encapsulating the breadth of factors that contribute to a child's preparedness, ability, and opportunity to learn and persist in school. In this light, the persistent deficits in…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational predictive study is to examine if and to what extent average district total funding and school adequacy predict district performance through student achievement in reading and mathematics in public school districts in the State of Arizona for the fiscal year 2023. The research focused on the…

The Local Control Funding Formula, executed in part through the Local Control and Accountability Plans, allows California school districts to allocate funds based on their needs as identified through goals and action items. This research project sheds light on the extent to which the funds have been utilized in the classroom and at the school…

Four-day school week (4DSW) adoption is an increasingly popular policy, particularly for rural districts that are seeking to reduce educator turnover and district expenditures. Using a staggered treatment event study design, I am among the first to estimate the quasi-experimental effects of 4DSW adoption on teacher turnover, and I am the first to…

This dissertation explored the cost and value of 1:1 computing programs in high schools in Texas. The study examines whether the total cost of ownership of these programs can be justified by the student testing gains and graduation rates. It investigates whether student learning outcomes show a definable correlation between positive gains and the…

This dissertation includes three essays in the field of economics of education. The first essay estimates the effect of top school management on student achievement in America. I use newly-collected data on the tenures of school district superintendents--the highest-ranking executive in U.S. school districts--to estimate the impact of individual…

This study explored the impact of rural school district consolidation in eastern North Carolina. Wilkins County is a low-income, low-performing county with an average daily membership (ADM) of 1,501 students. This county suffers from rural population decline, decreasing ADM, and is categorized as low performing, with only two of the six schools…

The Second Session of the 99th Nebraska Legislature, convened in 2007, produced an educational idea that was unique in the United States: The Learning Community of the Omaha metropolitan area. Aimed at creating greater educational funding equity, integrating the young people of the Omaha area, and improving student learning achievement, the…

Income disparity continues to increase across the United States as more students are coming from environments of low-income homes, racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds limited English proficiency, and high mobility rates which have contributed to disparity in educational achievement. The overarching question that drove this study was…

This dissertation examines the impact a Tax Ratification Election has on student achievement in Texas. Texas schools continue to struggle with shrinking budgets and increasing standards of student achievement (Equity Center, 2011). This study will provide greater insight into whether school districts that have completed a TRE have created a…

Access to an adequate education has been widely considered an undeniable right since Chief Justice Warren stated in his landmark decision that "Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments...it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of…