Equity in Education Finance in a Multicultural Society: The Case of the ultra-Orthodox Primary Ed. in Israel

• In Event: Financing Education in a Polycultural State: Challenges and Pitfalls

Proposal

This research analyzes equity and equality in central government allocation to ultra-Orthodox primary schools in Israel from 2014 through 2018. Equitable allocation of resources is positively and causally related to improvement in academic achievement and reduction in the academic achievement gap, especially for disadvantaged groups (Candelaria & Shores, 2019; Hyman, 2017; Johnson, 2015; Jackson, 2018; Jackson, Johnson & Persico, 2015, 2016; Kreisman & Steinberg, 2019; Lafortune, Rothstein & Schanzenbach, 2018; Thapa, Panigrahi & BenDavid-Hadar, 2020). Thus, examining the allocation of resources might contribute to reforming the school finance policy in a way that improves the academic achievement distribution (BenDavid-Hadar, 2016).
The extent of equity is measured using McLoone index, Verstegen index, 95:5 ratio and multiple regression. In addition, equality is measured using Gini coefficient. Our findings reveal a low extent of equity and equality in the allocation to the ultra-Orthodox schools, compared to other Hebrew speaking schools. Moreover, there is a decreasing trend in equity, and an incremental trend in equality. Policy implication highlights the need to allocate educational resources more equitably. The implications might concern other countries that are characterized by large cultural diversity.

Authors

• Ruth Meoded, Ms.

• Iris BenDavid-Hadar, Bar-Ilan University