Education Finance and Policy Journal

Don’t forget to follow us on all our social media channels! LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/efpjournal BlueSky: @efpjournal.bsky.social X: @EFPJournal Don’t miss out! We’re sharing ideas, research, and updates across all platforms. #EFP #FollowUs @aefpweb.bsky.social

Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal for #AEFP2027! Reviews are now underway, and decisions will be shared by December 11, when registration also opens. In the meantime, keep an eye out for updates on award nominations (now open!) and conference funding opportunities.

#FridayFeature In “Navigating Conflicting Pressures: How Districts Spend Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds,” Emily Rauschner, Daniel R. Alvord, and Jordan Mosby used mixed methods to examine how districts spent Federal COVID-19 relief funds across four states. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP...

Summer 2026 @efpjournal.bsky.social Takeaways are now posted on the AEFP website. Each takeaway offers a one-page overview of a recently published article to help you quickly identify the research most relevant to your work. aefpweb.org/efp-take...

Everyone knows (or should know) how important teachers are for student achievement. I think there's some low-hanging fruit when it comes to improving teacher quality through better hiring decisions. Want to know more (all in 1 page!), see @efpjournal.bsky.social 's aefpweb.org/files/S26_Go...

#TakeawayTuesday: In “Teacher Effectiveness in Remote Instruction,” @cadelawson.bsky.social and Tim Sass show how teachers’ value-added varies with virtual instruction. More here: aefpweb.org/files/Lawson... #RemoteInstruction #ValueAdded #EducationPolicy

#AEFP2027 Call for Proposals is out! Submit your paper, poster, Policy Dialogue, or Conversation Group by October 2. Read the full call: aefpweb.org/callforp...

Consider volunteering for @aefpweb.bsky.social. We would love it if you would sign up to volunteer to review our papers or policy briefs. Thanks!

I hope state & district leaders will find the guidance in @joshbleiberg.bsky.social & my policy brief helpful for minimizing the harm of teacher layoffs "The Inequitable Effects of Teacher Layoffs: What We Know and Can Do" @aefpweb.bsky.social @efpjournal.bsky.social direct.mit.edu/edfp/article...

Help shape AEFP's 2026–27 programming by proposing a webinar you'd organize & facilitate OR request a topic you'd love AEFP to cover! Submissions are due by August 17 to be considered for the initial lineup. Ideas are welcome on a rolling basis after that.

Looking for a resource on education finance & policy? @efpjournal.bsky.social publishes policy-relevant research papers covering topics from early childhood to graduate education in the United States and around the world 📚 direct.mit.edu/edfp/...

Yes! We are here 😀

We are grateful for this amazing team of associate editors 🎉

🎉

#FridayFeature: April 2017, Spencer Foundation–funded study “Are Student Absences Worth the Worry in U.S. Primary Schools?” Gershenson, Jacknowitz & Brannegan find absences lower achievement, especially for low-income students & ELLs. Read more: dx.doi.org/10.1162/EDFP...

#FridayFeature: July 2017, IES-funded study “ACT for All,” Joshua Hyman finds that requiring all students to take a college entrance exam increases four-year enrollment, especially for low-income students, and is more cost-effective than traditional aid. Read more: dx.doi.org/10.1162/EDFP...

#FridayFeature: April 2017, article “The Promise of Administrative Data in Education Research,” Figlio, Karbownik & Salvanes, one of the top NSF-funded research teams, highlight how administrative data is reshaping education policy research. Read more: dx.doi.org/10.1162/EDFP... #EFP #Education

From 2016, Seth Gershenson’s “Linking Teacher Quality, Student Attendance, and Student Achievement”—a top-cited Spencer Foundation study—shows that great teachers boost both learning and attendance, proving teaching is truly multidimensional. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP... #EFP

Sarah J. Reber, Dennis Rünger & Mitchell D. Wong’s “The Effects of Charter High Schools on Academic Achievement and College Enrollment” find that attending high-quality LA charter schools boosts test scores and 4-year college enrollment—especially at UC campuses. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp...

#FridayFeature: From 2017, Grissom & Loeb’s “Assessing Principals’ Assessments,” a top IES-funded study, shows that principals rate most teachers highly in both high- and low-stakes settings, though low-stakes evaluations reveal more nuance. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP...

#ThrowbackThursday: From 2023, Mokher, Park-Gaghan & Hu find that Florida’s developmental education reform benefitted most students—but ESOL and foreign-born students gained the most from flexible pathways and added support. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #HigherEd

#FridayFeature: NSF-funded research by Michael A. Gottfried & Robert Bozick shows that high school students who take applied STEM courses like tech & engineering, are more likely to choose STEM majors in college. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP... #STEMEducation #EdResearch

Rising pension costs are reshaping U.S. school districts. Sarah F. Anzia’s “Public Schools and Their Pensions” finds districts boost revenue but cut staff, mainly non-teaching, as pension spending grows. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #TakeawayTuesday #EdResearch #SchoolFinance

#FridayFeature: In “Does School District Consolidation Cut Costs?” Duncombe & Yinger find consolidation lowers per-pupil operating costs, but high adjustment costs—especially for capital spending, limit net savings. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP #SchoolFinance #K12

#TakeawayTuesdayThrowback: In “Gaining, Losing, and Regaining Merit-based Scholarships,” Ribar & Rubenstein show that HOPE & Zell Miller awards are far from static—many students lose them, few regain them, and disparities by race, gender, and income persist. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp...

#FridayFeature: New teachers are often placed in tougher classrooms with more disadvantaged students—raising turnover rates. Li Feng’s “Hire Today, Gone Tomorrow” highlights how classroom assignments shape teacher mobility. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP... #EFP #TeacherMobility #EducationPolicy

#TakeawayTuesday: “Gifted & Talented Programs and Racial Segregation.” Owen Thompson found that G&T programs enroll disproportionately more White & Asian students, modestly increasing within-school segregation. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP #EducationPolicy #EquityInEducation #Diversity

#FridayFeature: In “Assessed by a Teacher Like Me: Race and Teacher Assessments,” Amine Ouazad finds teachers assess same-race students more favorably, an effect seen as early as kindergarten through grade 5, even after controlling for test scores. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP_a_00136

#ThrowbackThursday: In EFP Volume 18, Issue 4, Fall 2023 article, Fuller, Lauen & Unlu find ECHS gains in college readiness & enrollment generalize beyond RCTs to all schools. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP #EducationPolicy #CollegeReadiness

#FridayFeature: In “Teacher Quality and Teacher Mobility,” Li Feng & Tim R. Sass find that top- and bottom-quartile teachers leave at higher rates than average ones, and effective teachers are more likely to stay when surrounded by strong peers. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP...

#TakeawayTuesday: In “Assessing the Relative Progressivity of the Biden Administration's Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Proposal,” Jacob Goss, Daniel Mangrum & Joelle Scally find up to $442B eligible, with younger, low-credit, Black & Hispanic borrowers benefiting most. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/edfp...

#FridayFeature: In “Peaks, Cliffs, and Valleys” (EFP), Robert M. Costrell and Michael Podgursky show how nonlinear pension incentives affect when teachers stay or retire—raising questions of efficiency, equity, and reform. Read more:https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp.2009.4.2.175 #EFP

#ThrowbackThursday: In “Private Schools and Student Achievement” (Fall 2023), Ebrahim Azimi, Jane Friesen, and Simon Woodcock find Catholic and non-Christian faith schools raise scores, while others show smaller or negligible effects. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP

#FridayFeature: “Explaining Gaps in Readiness for College-Level Math: The Role of High School Courses” by Mark C. Long, Patrice Iatarola, and Dylan Conger. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp...

#TakeawayTuesday: “Assessing the Relative Progressivity of the Biden Administration's Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Proposal” by Jacob Goss, Daniel Mangrum, and Joelle Scally. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP

#FridayFeature: 2010 EFP article "Mix and Match: What Principals Really Look for When Hiring Teachers" by Douglas N. Harris, Stacey A. Rutledge, William K. Ingle, and Cynthia C. Thompson. Read more: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP

AEFP invites applications for the editorship of EFP, the association’s flagship journal. Applications are due Nov 1. Read more about it here: aefpweb.org/callfore...

#TakeawayTuesday: “A Bridge to Graduation: Post-Secondary Effects of an Alternative Pathway for Students Who Fail High School Exit Exams," by Jane Arnold Lincove, Catherine Mata, and Kalena E. Cortes. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP

#FridayFeature: "Teacher Mobility, School Segregation, and Pay-Based Policies to Level the Playing Field" by Charles T. Clotfelter, Helen F. Ladd, and Jacob L. Vigdor, explores whether salary differentials address unequal teacher quality. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP... #EFP

#TakeawayTuesday: "Paying for Free Lunch: The Impact of CEP Universal Free Meals on Revenues, Spending, and Student Health," Michah W. Rothbart, Amy Ellen Schwartz, and Emily Gutierrez examine the fiscal and health impacts of the CEP. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/edfp... #EFP

#FridayFeature: "Does Teacher Evaluation Improve School Performance? Experimental Evidence from Chicago's Excellence in Teaching Project," by Matthew P. Steinberg and Lauren Sartain. 🔗: doi.org/10.1162/EDFP... #EFP