Allocation Study of Educational Resources in the Southwestern Region. Research Design.

School finance issues are of paramount concern to all levels of the education system of the Southwestern Region of the United States. As expectations rise for students and teachers to perform at higher levels and for schools to guarantee the success of all students, the question of how best to support this reform through fiscal measures becomes even more critical. This study, conducted by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, will examine fiscal resource allocation in relation to student performance in public school districts across this region. It will be designed to answer the following four questions: (1) What are the expenditure patterns over time in school districts across varying levels of student performance? (2) How do improving school districts allocate their financial resources? (3) What allocation practices have improving school districts implemented that they identify as innovative and effective? (4) What barriers and challenges have improving school districts faced in allocation practices? The results of this study will provide state and local decision-makers with information and strategies for improving the allocation of financial resources to support greater student success. Appendix A includes a data-sources matrix, interviewer guidelines, focus-group guide, letter to survey recipients, and sample survey. (Contains 41 references.) (RT)