Faculty Research Profiles

R. Craig Wood is one of the leading scholars in the field of financing public education.  He is currently a Research Foundation Professor and also serves as the Executive Director of the American Education Finance Association.  Specifically, his research and work regarding the constitutional challenges of state methods of distributing school finance aid has appeared in a number of scholarly journals, chapters, and texts.  He is one of the most prolific authors in America regarding constitutional challenges to state aid plans.  His publications record includes more than 250 book chapters, monographs, and scholarly journal articles including the American Education Finance Association’s Annual Yearbooks, Journal of Education Finance, Education Law Association’s Handbook of School Law series.  His books include Education Finance Law, Fiscal Leadership for Schools, Principles of School Business Management, and Money and Schools.  His latest text, Financing Public and Private Education is forthcoming.  He serves on the editorial boards of West’s Education Law Reporter, Journal of Education Finance, and Educational Considerations and the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy.  Additionally, he is the executive editor of the Florida Journal of Educational Administration & Policy. 

He has presented his research regarding education finance constitutional challenges including numerous general sessions, to such organizations of Education Law Association, American Education Finance Association, American Educational Research Association, and other national organizations.  He has conducted education finance litigation workshops for the National Conference on State Legislatures and the National Association of Attorneys General.  His education finance litigation activities include serving as lead expert for states of South Dakota, Montana, Missouri, and Florida.  He has consulted with many state legislatures. He has designed the education finance distribution formula for the state of Missouri, which has withstood constitutional challenge.  He is a past President of the American Education Finance Association.