General Cost Analysis Resources
The resources listed here are recommended by the CAP Project but were developed under other grants funded by IES or private foundations.
Introduction to Cost Analysis
The Critical Importance of Costs for Education Decisions
REL Brief providing background on cost analysis methods and applications to education decision-making (7 pgs). Written by Hollands & Levin (2017).
Blog Post: Using Cost Analysis to Guide Resource Decisions
This REL blog post describes the four main types of cost analysis, and lists resources one can use to implement a cost analysis in an education setting. Written by Pratt-Williams.
What Is the Potential for Applying Cost-Utility Analysis to Facilitate Evidence-Based Decision Making in Schools?
This Educational Researcher article investigates the feasibility of applying a multi-criteria decision-making framework based on cost-utility analysis to facilitate evidence-based decisions by educators. By Hollands, Pan, & Escueta (2019).
Guidance on Execution of Cost Analysis
Cost Analysis: A Starter Kit
This IES-funded document (March 2020) is designed for grant applicants who are new to cost analysis. It provides an introduction to cost analysis concepts and steps (58 pgs).
Relevance and Credibility Indices
When conducting a cost-effectiveness study, use the Relevance and Credibility Indices to help identify rigorous, comparable studies.
Using Cost Analysis to Inform Decisions about Professional Learning
This REL Northeast & Islands webinar explores cost analysis methods for educational decision-making. Includes detailed demonstration of estimating the costs of professional development activities. (86 mins).
Standards for the Economic Evaluation of Educational and Social Programs
A set of standards for designing, conducting and reporting cost analyses, cost-effectiveness analyses, and cost-benefit analyses (104 pgs).
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Early Reading Programs
This JREE article describes the conditions for a rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis and illustrates the challenges of applying the method in practice. Written by Hollands, Kieffer, Shand, Pan, Cheng, & Levin (2016).
Cost-Feasibility Analysis Toolkit for Supplemental Online Programs
Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia researchers developed this four-stage process to help leaders determine if a supplemental online program is affordable.
Software Tools to Facilitate Execution of Cost Analysis
E$timator©
Free, IES-funded software developed by researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University, to facilitate calculation of program costs and cost-effectiveness ratios once you have an ingredients list and effect size. Includes an extensive searchable price database.
DecisionMaker®
DecisionMaker® is a free online tool that facilitates evidence-based decision-making using a cost-utility framework. Applicable for education decisions that involve a choice between alternative educational activities, strategies, and interventions. Funded by William T. Grant Foundation.
Sample Cost Analysis Reports
Cost-utility Analysis of Student Information System Implementation Models
Example report to an SEA on a cost-utility analysis which combines the estimated costs and savings to districts of each SIS implementation model with the districts’ average preference ratings for the models.
Example Grant Report: Cost Analysis for Two Interventions Targeting the Achievement of Low-Income Students
Maya Escueta and Tyler Watts report to IES on their cost analysis of an early childhood intervention and an adolescent mindset Intervention. The interventions were implemented in a longitudinal efficacy trial.