How Poorly Were Philadelphia's Schools Really Doing?: Analyzing the State Takeover and the Explanations for What Happened
John R. Lott Jr.
University of Maryland Foundation, University of Maryland
Brent D. Mast
American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
August 21, 2002
Abstract:
The Pennsylvania state government taking over the Philadelphia school system raises important questions about how poorly Philadelphia schools were actually doing. The city had enacted a number of reforms during the mid-1990s, from instituting full day schooling for Kindergarten to increased teacher training. Some claim that Philadelphia suffered from reduced funding from the state government. This study evaluates these reforms and claims using the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Exam for the entire state of Pennsylvania from 1991 to 2001. Among the findings is that per pupil spending in Philadelphia during the 1990s was not significantly related to test scores and that the returns were significantly less for spending in the rest of the state.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 26
working papers series
Suggested Citation
Lott, John R. and Mast, Brent D., How Poorly Were Philadelphia's Schools Really Doing?: Analyzing the State Takeover and the Explanations for What Happened (August 21, 2002). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=328104 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.328104
