Join WestEd expert Sean Tanner at the AEFP 51st Annual Conference on March 19–21, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. Tanner, along with researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across the country, will present in a panel discussion at this annual gathering committed to strengthening education policy and finance through evidence and collaboration.
Panel Discussion
Thursday, March 19, 2026
School Funding Formulas
Time: 1:30–3:00 p.m. ET
This panel discussion on K-12 school finance, chaired by Eric Brunner and sponsored by EdFund, brings together researchers from leading institutions to explore how states are designing and reforming school funding formulas to better serve students.
Papers and Presenters:
- Updates to California’s School Funding Formula: Unpacking Trade-offs to Formula Alternatives — Brett Guinan, Julien Lafortune, and Iwunze Ugo (Public Policy Institute of California)
- Understanding the Cost of Providing Adequate Educational Opportunity in Oregon — Christopher D. Brooks, Jesse Levin, and Brad Salvato (American Institutes for Research) and Bruce Baker (University of Miami)
- A Case Study of the Implementation of School Finance Reform in New York State — Elizabeth O. Aritonang (University of Texas at Austin)
- Using Machine Learning to Allocate Funding to Schools: The Case of Nevada’s Pupil-Centered Funding Plan — Sean Tanner (WestEd)
Featured Speakers
Sean Tanner is a researcher with expertise in research design, machine learning, education policy, and methods of causal inference. Tanner has conducted natural experimental research on large-scale education policies such as Title I’s Schoolwide Program and California’s accountability system, as well as a methodological study of predictive performance in machine learning algorithms.