A Unified Platform for Real-Time K–12 ROI Analytics | Return on Instruction

Staffing turbulence, federal funding whiplash, budget cuts, clashes between curricula and politics—to say that these are challenging times for K–12 school districts is an understatement. As you lead your organization through this and other storms yet to come, you need a clear and accurate understanding of the educational ROI (eROI) of everything from curricula to teacher training to digital learning tools. But what is ROI in education? How does it differ from other forms of “return on investment,” both in K–12 education and beyond? Why is eROI so challenging, yet critical to measure effectively? In this article, we clarify what eROI means, how it differs from past efforts to assess ROI in education, and why it matters for today’s K–12 leaders. We also explore its role in maximizing a district’s limited resources for student growth. Table of Contents I. What Is ROI in Education? II. The Importance of Prioritizing ROI in Education III. Instructional Investments That Impact a District’s Educational ROI IV. Traditional Approach to ROI in Education vs. the Holistic Approach V. How Level Data’s eROI Platform Brings Clarity to District Spending What Is ROI in Education? The concept of “return on investment” has its roots in business and financial management. In its simplest form, ROI is a ratio of costs and profits, helping leaders steer their organizations’ investments such that the latter outweighs the former. So what does ROI stand for in education? Think of it as the “return on instruction” or the academic return on investments that districts make to support student learning. But unlike its corporate counterpart, ROI in education is much more complex because so many factors influence students’ success in the classroom. As a result, analyzing eROI triangulates three key factors: outcomes, participation, and, of course, costs. Let’s unpack each and why they matter.

Midyear data provides an important checkpoint. It’s an opportunity to reflect on progress, surface emerging needs, and make plans for the remainder of the year. This guide outlines key questions to ask about student growth, digital program use, grading practices, and more, so you can adjust instruction, interventions, and professional learning to achieve your goals for the school year. You'll also learn what specific data is needed to answer the questions and how Level Data's Return on Instruction (ROI) platform mines your data to provide rich insights for more informed decision-making.

In the wake of tough news about literacy, Farmington Municipal Schools (FMS) has much to celebrate. In addition to a steadily increasing graduation rate since 2010, FMS saw a 10% gain in student state reading scores in both grades 3-5 and grades 6-8 in the last two years alone. These trends aren’t a lucky streak. In 2020, New Mexico’s Department of Education launched its Structured Literacy New Mexico initiative to boost reading achievement. Since then, FMS has worked diligently to research, understand, and ultimately adopt structured literacy within its own schools. A major part of this undertaking included aligning three critical factors that affect student achievement: curricula, instruction, and assessment. Level Data recently sat down with Jennifer Bowles, Director of Early Education, and Nicole Lambson, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, to reflect together about planning, implementing, and monitoring FMS’s new structured literacy program. Keep reading to learn how they led their district through major change with tangible results.