Title: An efficiency study of urban public elementary schools using data envelopment analysis

Authors: Christie Morgan, Jose Humberto Ablanedo-Rosas, Hongman Gao

Addresses: Department of Management & Marketing, College of Business, Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS 39217-0280, USA. ' Department of Information and Decision Sciences, College of Business Administration, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968, USA. ' Department of Management & Marketing, College of Business, Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS 39217-0280, USA

Abstract: This study measures efficiency in 21 urban public elementary schools in a south-eastern state of the USA using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The empirical study uses regression analysis to determine predictors of student achievement which are then used in DEA to determine efficient schools. Two DEA models are run, as well as a ratio of the two which shows the scale efficiency of each school. One-half of the schools are found to be efficiently using the resources at their disposal. Although principal tenure is shown to be positively correlated and predictive of student achievement, it is not necessarily predictive of efficiency. Policy implications are included.

Keywords: DEA; data envelopment analysis; public elementary schools; education management; school efficiency; performance measurement; principal tenure; urban schools; United States; USA; regression analysis; student achievement; scale efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2010.030872

International Journal of Management in Education, 2010 Vol.4 No.2, pp.146 - 158

Published online: 11 Jan 2010 *

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