Provides services and technical assistance for students so they benefit from research-based curricula taught in safe environments.

Produces and disseminates information to provide motivation and tools to enable individuals to make informed decisions about health issues.

Develops and implements education testing programs that benefit students, parents and public officals.

Works with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the government's primary source for collecting and analyzing data about public education.

Helps to provide all children with access to a quality education, and empowers people, organizations, and communities to bring about social change.

Is committed to helping clients improve the effectiveness of their workforce through a wide range of management, organizational, and business improvement efforts.

AIR ’s Education Finance Team addresses the complexities of providing educational services to diverse populations of students. Our work provides relevant information and fiscal policy analysis to improve the use of scarce resources in delivering public services.

AIR ’s services in education policy and finance include research, analysis, dissemination, and technical assistance in the following areas:

• Early intervention, early childhood education, and K-12 finance
  • Development and implementation of resource and cost-based finance models
  • Guidance on formulating program delivery standards
  • Guidance on implementing decision-making processes related to education finance
  • Development of analytical data systems designed to support sound fiscal management
  • Guidance on equity in distributing resources
  • Support for organizing resource and cost information
  • Guidance on program evaluation and cost-effectiveness research
  • Support of, and training for, school finance data collection and planning activities
  • Cost, resource, and revenue analysis for both the public and private education sectors

   

• Special education finance
  • Estimates of special education expenditures on instruction, administration, and transportation, among other components
  • Estimates of special education expenditures based on disability and student need
  • Establishment of fair and effective special education funding formulas and related policies

• Higher education finance (through links with AIR's Higher Education Team)
  • Identification of financial aid needs
  • Identification of college costs
  • Support for long-term planning regarding faculty salaries
  • Evaluation of program performance
  • Establishment of accounting standards
  • Creation of program cost models

   

• Policy analysis
  • Evaluation of how federal education funds are used with state and local resources
  • Examination of how decisions are made regarding specific use of federal education funds
  • Examination of patterns of variation in services and spending
  • Cost analysis and review for consistency with legislative intent
  • Recommendation for improved policy in regard to fiscal process and procedures, with a focus on equity and efficiency

• Additional focus areas
  • Include compensatory education such as Title I; programs for English-language learners; early childhood intervention and education; vocational education; and international education.

• Special dissemination efforts
  • As part of its dissemination program in the field of finance, AIR contributes funds to support the publication of Education Finance and Policy (EFP), the new journal of the American Education Finance Association (AEFA).