Examining the Relationship Between District Spending Practices and Network Growth in Equity-Centered Educational Change

April 23, 2025

Chris Saldaña, Yi-Hwa Liou, Dani Molle, Xinyu Guan, Josh Childs, Sarah Volk, Laura Davalos, Matt Clifford, Aziz Awaludin, Rich Halverson

Note: These results are preliminary. Please do not cite without reaching out to cmsaldana@wisc.edu

Research Context

• Wallace Foundation “Equity Centered Principal Pipeline Initiative” multi-year initiative
• 8 partner districts – large school districts located in metro areas across the United States.
• 7 domains of work 🡪 Aim: Equity-centered educational leadership systems that improve students’ educational outcomes.

RQ1: How did partner districts plan to allocate resources to design and implement an equity-centered principal pipeline?

RQ2: What is the association between intended school district spending and network growth?

School District Spending and Student Outcomes – Does Money Matter? And how much do schools need?

School District – Resource Allocation

Student Outcomes

Developing analysis of resource allocation and short-term indicators of educational design and implementation

School District – Resource Allocation

Network Growth

ECPI - Domains

Student Outcomes

Input

Short-term indicator

Long-term indicator

Research Design

Data

• Budget reports –
• ECPI YEAR 2; planned dollar allocations broken out by “Domain” versus “non-Domain” spending, “Wallace” versus “Non-Wallace” spending, and “one-time” versus “ongoing” expenditures.
• We focus on “domain” spending.
• One district missing budget report. Sample – 7 partner districts.
• Social Network Survey (Study A):
• Who do you work with? (Name, Affiliation)
• What is the intensity of your relationship? (Keep Updated, Exchange Information, Work Alongside, Collaborate)

Methods (Multiple & Mixed Methods)

• Budget Analysis & Social Network Analysis – descriptively examine spending and network patterns
• Correlational analysis between district spending practice (across domain within district) and network growth and change in collaborative ties

RQ1: How did partner districts plan to allocate resources to design and implement an equity-centered principal pipeline?

ECPI – Planned Spending by Domain

District Planned Spending by Domain

Districts ordered by planned total spending (lowest to highest)

Planned Spending

RQ2: What is the association between intended school district spending and network growth?

ECPI Network Growth

Year 1, SY 21-22

Year 3, SY 23-24, Fall

District Spending and Network Growth (% Change in Ties)

TPP Planned Spending vs. Network Growth (T1 to T2)

TPP Planned Spending vs. Network Growth (T2 to T3)

Discussion & Implications

Discussion of results:

• “Money [potentially] Matters” for network development (note: correlational analysis; limitation: small sample)
• Additional qualitative questions about district budget process and allocation.

Implications:

• An example of how resource allocation data can be paired with “short-term”/“sensitive”/“intentional” measures of design and implementation to understand “successful”/“desired” progress and educational change
• Could allow for the further development of district logic models by extending/expanding the “causal links”/“mediating factors”/ “system” that promote “successful”/“desired” progress and educational change
• Resource allocation processes could be intentionally designed to support design and implementation of equity-centered educational change, adding to questions of educational costs and the impact of spending.

CALL for Equity Centered Leadership

www.call-ecl.org

call-ecl@wcer.wisc.edu

Research Team Authors

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Chris Saldaña, Yi-Hwa Liou, Dani Molle, Xinyu Guan, Josh Childs, Sarah Volk, Laura Davalos, Matt Clifford, Aziz Awaludin, Rich Halverson

Thank You!

Email additional questions to cmsaldana@wisc.edu