Christopher Saldaña, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, was recently honored by the Association of Education Finance and Policy with its 2024 Jean Flanigan Outstanding Dissertation Award.

Saldaña joined the School of Education in 2022 after earning his PhD in educational foundations, policy, and practice from the University of Colorado–Boulder. His dissertation, “Examining K-12 School Finance Policy, Practice, and Politics in Moments of Crisis,” explored how social unrest and economic uncertainty affect school funding dynamics. In his three article dissertation, Saldaña examined fiscal accountability policies in California, debate over funding police presence in schools following the murder of George Floyd, and racial disparities in education funding following the 2008 financial crisis.
The dissertation was supported in part by an American Educational Research Association Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research.
Colin Chellman, senior university dean at City University of New York and president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, says Saldaña’s dissertation offers important insight into the relationship between financial decisions and educational equity and policy.
Chellman noted Saldaña’s dissertation was selected for its “clear and policy-relevant research questions, comprehensive literature review, appropriate use of theoretical foundations, data, and methodology, and its significant contributions to our understanding of education finance and policy.”
“We look forward to his continued contributions to our field and the impactful changes he will undoubtedly bring to education finance and policy,” Chellman said.
The award was presented earlier this month at the Association for Education Finance and Policy’s annual conference.
Saldaña’s research continues to focus on the relationship between K-12 school finance and educational opportunity, and particularly on the educational experiences of minoritized and marginalized students. He was recently part of a working group on educational accountability that presented during a Congressional briefing before the U.S. House of Representatives. He is also the host of a podcast from the National Education Policy Center (NEPC).