Education Economics Research Support

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Trellison Institute applies methodologies published by the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University (Marguerite Roza et al.) and other education finance researchers for analyzing school district spending and resource allocation. Trellison Institute has not contacted Edunomics Lab and does not claim endorsement or affiliation. We apply their published frameworks because they represent rigorous, publicly available methods for education finance analysis. We evaluate methodology, not policy recommendations. Negative results are results.

What This Service Does

Education Finance Data Analysis

Education spending in the United States exceeds $800 billion annually, yet the relationship between spending and student outcomes remains one of the most studied and debated questions in education policy. Researchers need access to structured, comparable financial data across districts, states, and time periods to study these questions rigorously.

Trellison applies published education finance frameworks to open federal and state education datasets, providing researchers with clean, structured data and analytical tools for studying school finance questions at scale.

Analytical Frameworks

Published Methodologies Applied

Weighted Student Funding Analysis Framework published by Edunomics Lab for analyzing how districts allocate resources based on student need. Examines whether funding follows students or positions.

Per-Pupil Spending Decomposition Methodology for breaking total expenditure into instructional, administrative, operational, and capital components. Enables cross-district comparison on standardized bases.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Published frameworks from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) What Works Clearinghouse for evaluating program cost relative to measured outcomes.

Resource Allocation Equity Analysis Methods for measuring within-district spending equity across schools, examining whether high-need schools receive proportional resources.

Data Sources

Public Data, Transparent Methods

Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR) — 7.1 GB of district-level performance and financial data, 1,585 files covering enrollment, demographics, staffing, spending, and outcomes
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — National Center for Education Statistics universe of all public schools and districts, including enrollment, staffing, and fiscal data
IPEDS — Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System for higher education institution analysis (enrollment, completion, finance, staffing)
College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education data on college costs, graduation rates, post-enrollment earnings
Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — Biennial survey of all public schools covering access to courses, discipline, chronic absenteeism, and restraint/seclusion
IES What Works Clearinghouse — Evidence reviews and practice guides with cost data for evaluated education interventions

Research Applications

Available for Verified Researchers

What researchers can do with this service

District spending analysis — per-pupil expenditure decomposition for any U.S. school district, with adjustments for cost of living and student demographics.

Spending-outcome correlation — structured datasets linking financial inputs to academic outcomes (test scores, graduation rates, college enrollment) while controlling for demographic and economic factors.

Resource allocation equity — within-district analysis of how resources are distributed across schools, with attention to Title I status, student poverty rates, and special education needs.

State policy comparison — cross-state analysis of funding formulas, weighted student funding adoption, and fiscal effort measures.

This service is free for education researchers whose methodology passes Trellison's evaluation criteria. We provide the data pipeline and analytical infrastructure. Researchers bring the questions and the expertise. We support their work — we do not direct it.

Access This Service

If you are a researcher studying education finance, resource allocation, or school district economics, request access to our education data pipeline.

Request Access →