The "Action Lecture" program is an innovative teaching method run in some nursery and primary schools in Paris and designed to improve pupils' literacy. We report the results of an evaluation of this program. We describe the experimental protocol that was built to estimate the program's impact on several types of indicators. Data were…

"Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" is the authoritative source for accurate and relevant information on the state of education around the world. It provides data on the structure, finances, and performance of education systems in the OECD's 34 member countries, as well as a number of partner countries. In the 2014 edition, new…

In the UK, education is the third largest area of government spending (of which school spending has the largest share). Since 2000, school expenditure has increased by about 40 per cent in real terms for both primary and secondary schools (see Figure 1). The question as to whether such investment is worthwhile is of central importance. The…

Over the past several decades, researchers, politicians, and corporate leaders have focused reform efforts on the size of educational contexts. Hundreds of billions of public and private dollars have been invested to reduce the size and scope of both classrooms and schools (Lee & Ready, 2007). Unlike many education reforms, these downsizing…

Serious interest in reducing class size often begins with a key question: What available evidence would support the higher implementation costs? This article discusses positive results of a longitudinal statewide study in Tennessee (Project STAR) and uses findings to specify four guidelines for practitioners and policy makers. Evaluation plans…

This document consists of two papers. The first, titled "Good Classroom Acoustics Is a Good Investment," identifies and estimates some of the costs for good acoustics in new school construction. It also identifies and estimates some previously unrecognized economic benefits of good acoustics, as well as some of the hidden costs of…

Argues that study findings indicate that lowered class size increases student achievement and improves school attitudes. Counter argument indicates there is little educational payoff and great monetary expense in small reductions in class size. (RH)

The items featured in this annotated bibliography touch on several aspects of the multifaceted class-size debate. Allen Odden reviews the literature and contends that class-size reduction should be used "sparingly and strategically." C. M. Achilles and colleagues examines two different class-size situations and find student test…

A study of 575 volunteers in 57 elementary schools discovered that most are women (aged 36-55) supporting classroom and learning activities. Volunteers improve climate, individual student achievement, and school-community relations. Poorer schools lack sufficient volunteers. Benefits outweigh administrative, recruitment, and training costs. (MLH)

This article presents a study of the cost-effectiveness of government inputs in raising achievement scores in Bangladeshi primary schools. The analysis itself involves three steps: regression analysis, cost-analysis and simulation analysis--each built on the previous step to identify the most cost-effective government inputs. The paper describes…

Compares the cost-effectiveness of two delivery systems for elementary learning-disabled students--the self-contained special learning disabilities classroom, and the regular classroom with resource room or learning center. (JG)

Using data on mean achievement of third and sixth graders in individual California schools, coupled with salary data for those students' teachers, this study tested whether teacher salary variables are associated with student achievement, when socioeconomic characteristics are controlled. Differences among schools in the amount of teachers' pay…

Presents research comparing the cost-effectiveness of four educational interventions (computer-assisted instruction, cross-age tutoring, reduced class size, and longer school day) designed to raise elementary student achievement. Results show that computer-assisted instruction was less cost effective than peer tutoring. Includes three tables…

For the past 10 years the South Carolina Department of Education annually has rewarded the top 20% of its public elementary schools. Identifies a positive relationship between larger schools and sustained academic achievement, although the impact of size was relatively small. Smaller schools tended to be serving students in lower socioeconomic…

Uses cost, financial sources, and student achievement data from Philippine primary schools (financed primarily from central sources) to discover if financial decentralization leads to more efficient schools. Schools that rely more heavily on local sources (contributions from local school boards, municipal government, parent-teacher associations,…