Input-output research has made valuable contributions to our understanding of schools; however it does not provide reliable evidence concerning how school resources should be allocated. Two input-output studies described indicate that the intuitions of experienced school officials should be heeded by researchers when designing input-output…

In the Philadelphia school district, in 1975-76, several educational inputs, including the basal linguistic approach, were particularly distinguishable for their contribution to growth in the reading achievement of fourth graders. The impact of pupil, principal, teacher, and instruction characteristics are examined. Regular school attendance…