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RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute. www.rti.org

K–12 School-Level Expenditures: Data Collection Challenges and Solutions

Jordan Hudson, RTI International Ruth Heuer, RTI International Nikki Williams, RTI International

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Presentation Overview

• Study background• Study design • Data collection strategy• Data validation process• Data collection results• Lessons learned

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Study of School-Level Expenditures – Background

• U.S. Department of Education’s Study of School-Level Expenditures (SSLE) - requirement under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009

• First time school-level expenditure data collected for all 50 States (approximately 83,000 K-12 public schools)

• Data to examine state and local resources in high-need schools vs. low-need schools

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First…A Few Factors To Consider -- Study Design

Data quality concerns voiced by a number of states and researchers:

• School districts did not have accounting systems in place to track revenues and expenditures at the school level

• States did not have all of the data needed for the study in their databases so had to set up a system to collect the required expenditure data from districts and schools

• Data had to be collected retroactively

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Study Design

Four types of expenditures for each K–12 school were collected

• Total personnel salaries for all school-level instructional and support staff

• Salaries for instructional staff

• Salaries for teachers

• Non-personnel expenditures (if available)

States were to report only state and local funding

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Data Collection Strategy

• Sent an Excel spreadsheet (data file shell) with pre-loaded data and a built-in formula to state data coordinators via email

• Provided detailed instructions laying out the types of expenditures to include or exclude

• Built a secure website for coordinators to upload completed data files

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Data Collection Strategy

Study of School-Level Expenditures: State Spreadsheet With Pre-Populated Data From EDFacts          

                       

State Name

LEA ID (NCES ID Code)

LEA Name

School ID (NCES ID Code)

School Name

School Title I Status in 2008-09

Personnel Salaries – Total

Personnel Salaries – Instructional Staff Only

Personnel Salaries – Teachers Only

Non-Personnel Expenditures at School Level (if available)

Student Enrollment

Personnel Salary Expenditures per Student Enrolled

EDFacts EDFacts EDFacts EDFacts EDFacts EDFacts         EDFactsCalculated via

formula

Data File Shell Sent To State Data Coordinators

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Data Validation Process

• Data received via a secure website

• All data values submitted were checked programmatically

• Validation checked for:• Missing data• $0 amounts • Per-pupil expenditures out of range• Expenditures make sense relative to each other:

Total Personnel > Instructional Staff > Teachers

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Life Cycle of Data Collection/Validation

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Data Collection Results

• All states submitted data on their schools

• Charter school data was extremely difficult to collect

• Burden hours varied greatly from state to state

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Lessons Learned

• Provide clear data reporting instructions

• Provide standard template for reporting data

• Include real-time data checks

• Specify a consistent means for communicating information about the data

• Timing of the data collection

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Things To Come…What’s Next?

• Data and the interim report to be released Fall 2011

• Final report with study results to released in Spring 2012

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More Information

Jordan Hudson

919-316-3416

jhudson@rti.org

Ruth Heuer

919-541-6457

heuer@rti.org