Educational Productivity :: Teaching Education

Educational Productivity Educational productivity is the improvement of students outcomes with little or no additional financial resources, or a consistent level of student performance at a lower level of spending. Educational productivity is based on effectiveness. This is the linkage betwixt student outcomes and the level and use of finacial resources in the schools. Production functions be concerned with how money is related to student learning and lifetime earnings. Other approaches are make up functions, data envelopment, and the impact of smaller class size on the student learning. Although there has been extensive research about educational productive functions, there are still many disagreement among researchers as to whether or not a statistical link can be found in the midst of student outcomes and money. However, it is concur upon that the single largest expendidture in the public school system is teacher expenditure. Early production-function research, mode led on classical economic theory, tried to correlate a fall of educational inputs to a single output. Most of these studies were inconclusive. Because of the complexity of the schooling process and factors (like child poverty) outside schools control, it has been difficult to isolate statistically significant one-to-one correlations between inputs and student learning. The most common outcomes measured in such studies are standardized test results, graduation rates, dropout rates, college attendance patterns, and labor-market outcomes. Inputs usually include per-pupil expenditures student-teacher ratios teacher education, experience, and stipend school facilities and administrative factors (Lawrence Picus 1997). The most famous production-function study was the U.S. Department of Educations Coleman Report. This massive survey of 600,000 students in 3,000 schools concluded that socioeconomic background influenced student success more than various school and teacher characteris tics (Picus 1997). Another type of research was culminated in Eric Hanusheks 1989 study, which analyzed results of 187 production studies published during the previous 20 years. Using a simple vote-counting method to compare data, Hanushek found no systematic, positive relationship between student achievement and seven inputs. Hanusheks findings have been challenged by recent studies utilize more sophisticated research techniques. When Larry Hedges (1994) and associates reanalyzed Hanusheks syntheses using meta-analysis, they discovered that a $500 (roughly 10 percent) profit in average spending per pupil would significantly increase student achievement. Likewise, Faith Cramptons comprehensive analysis (1995) of inputs affecting achievement in New York State schools found that expenditures seemed to matter when they bought smaller classes and more experienced, highly enlightened teachers.