The Implications of Decentralization for Student Achievement and Equity Across the Americas

• In Event: Issues for Local Education Governance

Abstract

This study examines the effect of local control of school management on student achievement using data from the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The empirical strategy compares the within-country effects of local control of 10 components of school management in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and the US. The results suggest that local control of financial, administrative, and instructional decision-making is associated with significantly higher achievement in science across all four countries. However, much of this effect is explained by the sorting of relatively advantaged students into schools with greater autonomy. When controls for student characteristics are included, the effects of local control diminish or become insignificant. These results raise concerns that selective decentralization may contribute to achievement gaps.

Authors

• Jenna Cullinane, The University of Texas - Austin

• Jane Arnold Lincove, The University of Texas - Austin