Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:23:12.724Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Consolidating Rural School Districts: Potential Savings and Effects on Student Achievement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Charles Jacques ,
B. Wade Brorsen  and
Francisca G. C. Richter
Charles Jacques
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University
B. Wade Brorsen
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University
Francisca G. C. Richter
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

One frequently proposed policy is to consolidate rural school districts in order to save money by obtaining economies of size. The effects of school district size on both expenditures and standardized test scores are estimated for Oklahoma. Results indicate that economies of scale with respect to expenditures per student exist up to an average daily membership (ADM) of 965 students, but that as school districts become larger, tests scores decline. Even if savings in school district administration from consolidation are spent on instruction, state average test scores would decrease slightly. Thus, school district consolidation can reduce costs, but it will also reduce student learning.

Keywords

economies of sizeeducationplateau functionschool district consolidation
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , December 2000 , pp. 573 - 583
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arminger, G., Clogg, C.C., and Sobel, M.E.. Handbook of Statistical Modeling for the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Chapter 10, Random Coefficient Models. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1995.Google Scholar
Blackburn, M.L., and Newmark, D.. “Are OLS Estimates of the Return to Schooling Biased Downward? Another Look.” Review of Economics and Statistics 77(May 1995):217–230.Google Scholar
Borland, M.V., and Howsen, R.M.. “Competition, Expenditures and Student Performance in Mathematics: A Comment on Couch et al.” Public Choice 87(1996):395–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, Dominic J. “Does More School District Administration Lower Educational Productivity? Some Evidence on the ‘Administrative Blob’ in New York Public Schools.” Economics of Education Review 15(2)(1996):111–124.Google Scholar
Butler, R.J., and Monk, D.H.. “The Cost of Public Schooling in New York State: The Role of Scale and Efficiency.” The Journal of Human Resources 20(Summer 1985):361–381.Google Scholar
Chubb, John E., and Moe, Terry M.. Politics, Markets, and America's Schools. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, 1990.Google Scholar
Cohn, E. “Economies of Scale in Iowa High School Operations.” Journal of Human Resources 3(Fall 1968):422–434.Google Scholar
Deaton, Brady J., and McNamara, Kevin T.. “Education in a Changing Environment: Impact of Population and Economic Change on the Demand and Cost of Public Education in Rural America.” SRDC Synthesis-Bibliography Series No. 18. Mississippi State, MS: Southern Rural Development Center, 1984.Google Scholar
Delier, Steve C, and Nelson, Carl H.. “Measuring the Economic Efficiency of Producing Rural Road Services.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 73(1)(February 1991):194–201.Google Scholar
Eberts, R.W., Kehoe, E., and Stone, J.A.. “The Effect of School Size on Student Outcomes.” Eugene, OR: Oregon University (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 245 382), 1984.Google Scholar
Frank Bruce, Michael D., Beattie, R., and Mary Embelton, E.. “A Comparison of Alternative Crop Response Models.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 72(3)(August 1990):597–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferguson, Ronald E, and Ladd, Helen F.. “How and Why Money Matters: An Analysis of Alabama Schools.” Holding Schools Accountable. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, 1996.Google Scholar
Fowler, William J., and Walberg, Herbert J.. “School Size, Characteristics, and Outcomes.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 13(2)(Summer 1991):189–202.Google Scholar
Goetz, Stephan J., and Debertin, David L.. “Rural Education and the 1990 Kentucky Educational Reform Act: Funding, Implementation, and Research Issues.” Agricultural Economics Research Report 54, Lexington, KY, August 1991.Google Scholar
Greene, William H.Econometric Analysis Third Edition, Chapter 12, Heteroscedasticity. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1993.Google Scholar
Hanushek, Eric A. “Assessing the Effects of School Resources on Student Performance: An Update.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 19(2)(Summer 1997):141–164.Google Scholar
Hanushek, Eric A. “School Resources and Student Performance.” Does Money Matter? (edited by Burtless, Gary) Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, 1996.Google Scholar
Hanushek, Eric A. “The Economics of Schooling: Production and Efficiency in Public Schools.” Journal of Economic Literature 24(September 1986):1141–1177.Google Scholar
Lewis, W. C., and Chakraborty, K.. “Scale Economies in Public Education.” Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy 26(1)(1996):23–35.Google Scholar
Oklahoma Department of Education. Unpub. electronic data. Oklahoma Department of Education, Oklahoma City, OK., 1996.Google Scholar
Ostrom, E. “The Comparative Study of Public Economies.” The American Economist 42(1) (1998):3–17.Google Scholar
Paris, Quirino. “The von Liebig Hypothesis.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 74(4)(November 1992):1019–1028.Google Scholar
Riew, J. “Economies of Scale in High School Operations.” Review of Economics and Statistics 8(August 1966):280–287.Google Scholar
Riew, J. “Scale Economies, Capacity Utilization, and School Costs: A Comparative Analysis of Secondary and Elementary Schools.” Journal of Education Finance 11 (Spring 1986):433–466.Google Scholar
Sander, William. “Catholic High Schools and Rural Academic Achievement.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 79(1)(February 1997):1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tholkes, R.J. “Economies of Scale in Rural School District Reorganization.” Journal of Education Finance 16(Spring 1991):497–514.Google Scholar
United States Department of Education. “1990 Census Data by School District.” Washington DC. National Center for Education Statistics, United States Department of Education (CD Rom), 1995.Google Scholar
Wendling, W.W., and Cohen, J.. “Education Resources and Student Achievement: Good News for Schools.” Journal of Education Finance 7(1981):44–63.Google Scholar
White, Fred, and Tweeten, Luther. “Planning Educational Services.” Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics 4(1)(July, 1972):23–28.Google Scholar