About me

Welcome to my website!

I specialize in school finance and resource allocation. My research interests are driven by a desire to improve educational outcomes though two channels: (1) effective, well-informed policies at the federal, state, and local levels of government; (2) productive, impactful practices at the district and school levels. In conducting my research, I draw upon my background in economics and education policy.

My current research agenda consists of two aims. My first aim is to characterize the contexts in which money matters for student outcomes by examining changes in school funding systems at the three levels of government. My second aim is to better understand the resources that school systems employ to improve student outcomes. For example, I study teacher labor markets and teacher effectiveness, given that teachers are one of the most important resources for improving student outcomes.

To address my research questions, I use economic theory and principles to develop my understanding of the constrained resource decisions that school leaders make to improve student outcomes. I also use econometric and statistical methods—applied to large-scale longitudinal databases and administrative data records—to produce research that will inform policy discussions regarding resource allocation in public schools and the implications that these decisions have for equity.