Drew Atchison

Drew Atchison has extensive experience leading research on accountability and education finance. Atchison’s work includes directing a study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), The Impacts of Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Designation in ESSA Accountability Systems. As part of that study, AIR examined CSI-designated schools in three states: California, Florida, and Ohio. The study used student-level and school-level administrative data, gathered across multiple years to replicate each states federal CSI designations, investigate how changes to accountability calculations would affect which schools receive CSI designations, and examine whether receiving a CSI designation affects subsequent student outcomes.  

Atchison has also led numerous studies related to school finance, including studies examining the cost of education in California, Colorado, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Vermont. As part of these studies, Atchison examined how the cost of education varies across different types of schools and districts based on the students they serve and other contextual cost factors. Atchison’s work has also examined cost effectiveness of particular interventions. Related to this work, Atchison was the lead author of an article titled The Costs and Benefits of Early College High Schools, which was recognized as the best article in the journal Education Finance and Policy in 2021. 

For his dissertation research examining how accountability policies have affected educational equity of inputs as well as outcomes, Atchison was awarded the Jean Flanigan Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Dr. Atchison has published articles in top education research journals, including the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, Education Finance and Policy, AERA Open, and Education Policy Analysis Archives. Prior to joining AIR, Atchison was a science teacher in District of Columbia Public Schools.