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The paper examines both
the major factors determining and affecting the efficiency of
educational systems and the opportunities for improving them.
Starting from an analysis of individual interests of those who
are the most concerned with and affected by the education system,
connections between efficiency in the education system will
be researched. The evidence for efficiency measures is investigated
in three important areas of interest: namely input and output
factors based on an educational production function approach,
organisational structures, and new approaches to financing education,
which are directed at more competitive and market-like education.
However, when one considers empirical evidence than it seems
that increasing resources has only a small effect on student
achievement. But there is some evidence that a reallocation
of existing resources towards teaching and learning materials
and performance-related teacher salaries will have a positive
effect in this respect. The same positive effect on student
achievement applies to centralized examination procedures, as
well as more school autonomy concerning process and personnel.
Autonomous budget responsibility for educational institutions
leads to lower student achievement because resources are particularly
used to serve the interests of the teachers.
The effects of educational coupons and other more market-oriented
financing instruments are highly controversial. Looking at empirical
studies, the positive effects on students are weaker than is
stated by many proponents. Nonetheless, most studies conclude
that there seems to be a positive relationship between competition
and coupons and student's academic performance. However, the
strongest impact of new financing models can be expected when
it is combined with structural reforms, e.g. centralized exams.
The social problems that are reported in connection with such
reforms can be avoided by appropriate construction of the coupon
systems (differentiating them according to socio-economic and
individual factors) in combination with advice and information.
Such a comprehensive and well thought out reform would increase
the incentives for all those involved to improve the performance
of the educational system. When only partial solutions are applied,
gains in efficiency will be less if some small steps are not
taken. |
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