Working Paper: NBER ID: w9040
Authors: Eric A. Hanushek
Abstract: In an effort to improve the quality of schools, governments around the world have dramatically increased the resources devoted to them. By concentrating on inputs and ignoring the incentives within schools, the resources have yielded little in the way of general improvement in student achievement. This paper provides a review of the United States and international evidence on the effectiveness of such input policies. It then contrasts the impact of resources with that of variations in teacher quality that are not systematically related to school resources. Finally, alternative performance incentive policies are described.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I2; H4; J4
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| increased resources devoted to schools (H52) | significant improvements in student achievement (I24) |
| increased spending (H56) | little corresponding improvement in student performance (D29) |
| variations in teacher quality (I24) | substantial impact on student outcomes (I24) |
| quality (measured by cognitive test scores) (J24) | individual earnings, productivity, and economic growth (O49) |