Educational Decentralization, School Autonomy, and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students Around the World: Panel Estimates From PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) (2003–2012)

• In Event: Civic Engagement, Civic Challenge, and Cultural Competency in International Educational Environments

Abstract

Decentralization in education has been gaining popularity across many countries over the past decades. However, empirical research has shown mixed results. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of decentralization of education system on student achievement across 50 countries with a particular focus on socio-economically disadvantaged students. I use a panel estimate from the four waves of PISA tests spanning 2003-2012. To observe the effect over time, I include country fixed effects that control for any time-invariant differences at the country level. I found that there is significantly negative effect of higher school autonomy for resource allocation for low socio-economic status students, while there is no evidence for negative effect of school autonomy for curriculum and assessment.

Author

• Bommi Lee, Vanderbilt University