Table Example
| Traditional ROI Thinking | Relevant Return on Resources + Strategic Funding and Finance |
|---|---|
| Starts with individual programs or line items | Starts with district priorities and student needs |
| Focuses on short‑term, measurable returns | Focuses on long‑term outcomes and system capacity |
| Asks: “What did we get for this dollar?” | Asks: “Are our resources aligned to our goals?” |
| Evaluates initiatives in isolation | Examines how resources work together as a system |
| Can penalize high‑need schools with slower gains | Explicitly considers differentiated student needs |
| Emphasizes cost‑cutting | Emphasizes strategic tradeoffs and reallocation |
| Treats funding as a constraint | Treats funding as a lever for improvement |
Callout Box
Quick definition: Relevant Return on Resources (R3)
R3 asks whether the full set of resources a district invests (people, time, dollars, supports) is producing the results we intend—for the students we intend—under real implementation conditions.
- Fair distribution: who benefits, and who does not
- Implementation: what it takes for the investment to work as designed
- Time + system effects: how results accumulate and interact across initiatives