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Reports & Publications

We've published hundreds of reports and analyses covering a variety of issues in education funding and state finance policy, and we're always working on new research reports. Browse through all of our reports and publications using the keyword search below, or search by a specific category using the drop-down menu below the Featured post.

Insights from District Leaders: How Rising Costs are Impacting Students & Teachers

Featured
Inflation written in white chalk on a green chalkboard

As districts work to meet increasing student needs and maintain high-quality educational programs, the purchasing power of state and local dollars has eroded under the cumulative effects of persistent inflation. To understand how rising costs are impacting students and teachers in the classroom, we conducted interviews with leaders across 18 school districts.

Insights from District Leaders: How Rising Costs are Impacting Students & Teachers One-Pager: Impacts of Rising Costs on the Classroom
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Education Funding Funding Formulas

The State of School District Spending in Connecticut

Understanding how public school districts are spending education dollars is essential for ensuring Connecticut’s investments in K-12 education are transparent, equitable, and effective. This analysis explores how spending has changed over the last five years, breaks down expenditures by function and object, and highlights key trends in spending for special education services.

The State of School District Spending in Connecticut
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Special Education District/School Spending

2024 District Leader Survey Results

We surveyed school district leaders in Connecticut in order to quantify how the expiration of federal COVID-relief funds will impact schools, staff, and students. Survey results revealed district leaders believe the loss of ESSER dollars will impact thousands of students and educators through cuts to programs, services, and staff, and make it more difficult to address student learning and mental health needs, support higher-need students, and improve student academic performance.

2024 Survey Webpage 2024 District Leader Survey Results 2024 District Leader Survey All Questions and Responses
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Community District/School Spending

District Reference Groups (DRGs)

District Reference Groups (DRGs) are a classification system that groups local and regional public school districts together based on the similar socioeconomic characteristics and status of their students. Developed by the Connecticut State Department of Education, the DRGs have not been officially updated since they were first released in 2006. Although not for official use, the School and State Finance Project has replicated the DRGs using updated data and the same methodology and variables as the original DRGs.

DRG Webpage 2023 DRGs One Pager
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Community Student Enrollment/Demographics District/School Spending