Reboot: Box-Plots for Education

We're rebooting our first prized competition for fun and education! Tag school budgets automatically to help districts get a better grasp of their spending and how to improve the impact of their scarce resources. #education

intermediate practice
dec 2022
2,591 joined

Education Resource Strategies


Despite outspending other countries per student, the US continues to lag behind global competitors in educational outcomes. For decades, there has been surprisingly little correlation between variations in per-student spending and performance, in part because dollars may be spent on areas that do not have a major impact on student achievement. Finding a better way to classify resources for schools and districts may help clarify different spending approaches and drive toward strategies to use the dollars we spend on education more effectively and efficiently.

ERS was formally established as a non-profit consulting firm in 2004. By that time, our President and Executive Director Karen Hawley Miles had already worked intensively for over 10 years with a variety of school districts, from Los Angeles Unified School District to Providence Public Schools, to analyze their funding systems, school level resource use, and human capital systems.

Since 2004, we have worked hand-in-hand with more than 20 school systems nationwide, including 16 of the 100 largest urban districts, on topics such as teacher compensation and career path, funding equity, school design, central office support, and budget development. In the last few years we have partnered with states as well.

We believe our work has impact when it causes changes in understanding, action, and resource reallocation—all with the goal of improving outcomes for students.

For more information, visit the Education Resource Strategies website.