Abstract

This study seeks to examine and evaluate the influence of economics on education, more precisely, how funding and expenditure per pupil in public schools affects how the observed school quality by the students' achievement. In this thesis, Ohio high school students' performance on the state-wide administered achievement tests and the amount that their respective districts spend per-pupil are tested. These achievement tests have four sections, Citizenship, Math, Reading and Writing. Citizenship was not used to measure student achievement in this thesis. The other three sections were tested against several variables including: Total expenditure per pupil, Instructional expenditures, Capital outlay per pupil, General Administrative costs per pupil and average daily membership. These variables were run with regressions to calculate their significance and run with the Pearson correlation matrix, to test the direct relationship. Multiple regressions were run to control for certain variables like attendance. Most of the regressions showed a degree of significance although the correlation between the funding and the school quality variables was not very high. Another study that may wish to research this topic may choose more student achievement, school quality variables besides test scores, like per cent to graduate in 4 years, l those who go on to college or even the number who go into their respective tracking fields, vocational, college prepatory, etc. Using more variables and possibly gathering responses to questionnaires on teacher and student satisfaction may be telling in research of school quality.

Advisor

Burnell, James

Second Advisor

Fitz Gibbon, Heather

Department

Urban Studies

Publication Date

1993

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 1993 Alfred L. Thompson