Determining the Comparative Efficiency of Schools through Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract

Conventional methods for comparing the relative productivity of schools employ least squares regression to find the expected achievement of schools with the same input characteristics. The result is that analysts typically contrast the relative effects of "predictor"variables on achievement rather than comparing school units with respect to their input/output efficiency. A newly developed input/output method for comparing the efficiency of decision making units is presented. and it is applied to the elementary schools in an urban school district. The method results in the identification of efficient and inefficient schools and provides management information relative to input and output measures.