Education systems in third world countries are grappling with high enrolments of children in schools, amidst dwindling resources. In this article, the authors question whether learning/teaching materials influence learning outcomes in a context where policy is more concerned about enrolment than quality of service. This article is drawn from data…

Class-size reduction (CSR) mandates presuppose that resources provided to reduce class size will have a larger impact on student outcomes than resources that districts can spend as they see fit. I estimate the impact of Florida's statewide CSR policy by comparing the deviations from prior achievement trends in districts that were required to…

Using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System (maintained by the California Department of Education, or CDE), the authors present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers that may be used to assess whether there are inequities in…

Since the 1980s, the increasing cost of education has been a global trend, and there is a growing demand for increasing efficiency in different countries. As a result, education economists began focusing on the issue of efficient allocation of educational resources and borrowed production function from economics to study educational production…

A model of cost-effectiveness is outlined which enables consideration of some non-financial, as well as financial, elements of educational systems at school or district levels. The model enables the decision-maker to compare educational outcomes of different units, to assess the impact of alternative levels of financial input, and to select…

The effectiveness of schools and the levels of investment in schooling have been in question since the 1966 Coleman report "Equality of Educational Opportunity." Based on a theory of "knowledge-ability," this study challenges the assumption that given "inputs" will yield equivalent effects or "outputs." In…

This paper discusses a statistical analysis of the impact on student learning of socioeconomic characteristics, certain aspects of the school environment, and the amount of educational resources expanded on students. It is felt that the analysis is quite similar to what economists do when they estimate production functions for films; but that…

This is a summary of a report which presents three models quantifying the relationships between educational means (resources) and ends (pupil achievements) to analyze resource allocation problems within school districts: (1) the Pupil Performance Model; (2) the Goal Programming Model; and (3) the Operational Structure of a School and Pupil…

This report details three models quantifying the relationships between educational means (resources) and ends (pupil achievements) to analyze resource allocation problems within school districts: (1) the Pupil Performance Model; (2) the Goal Programming Model; and (3) the Operational Structure of a School and Pupil Performance Model. These models…

This monograph summarizes and evaluates "educational production function analyses"--studies of the relation between inputs and outputs in an education system--in order to aid in educational manpower policy making. In addition, data from New York state school districts and from a large national sample of high school students is subjected to…

This paper uses the data from the 1966 Educational Opportunities Survey (EOS) to investigate regional and racial inequalities in education by applying a definition of inequalities that incorporates both school inputs and educational outcomes. Inequalities in school inputs are weighted by their importance for educational outputs, in order to…

Reading and mathematics achievement and student self-concept were studied in 28 IGE elementary schools (schools using the system of Individually Guided Education). The data comprised 134 variables--input variables (student characteristics, teacher background, and expenditures for instruction); process variables (teaching time and school…

This review summarizes and analyzes the body of research on the characteristics of effective schools in addition to early input-output research, which implied that the determinants of student achievement lay chiefly outside the control of the schools. Chapter 1 discusses patterns in the results of input-output studies, including research…

Fiscal and other economic constraints facing developing nations underscore the need for careful and detailed planning for education focused on the identified purposes. Until recently educational requirements have been measured in terms of inputs. Effectiveness measurements change the basis for judging the educational system from such input or…