IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/pubfin/v36y2008i4p381-407.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The No Child Left Behind Act

Author

Listed:
  • William Duncombe

    (Syracuse University)

  • Anna Lukemeyer

    (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)

  • John Yinger

    (Syracuse University)

Abstract

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) imposes new requirements on state education systems and provides additional education funding. This article estimates education cost functions, predicts the spending required to support NCLB standards, and compares this spending with the funding available through NCLB. This analysis is conducted for Kansas and Missouri, which have similar education environments but very different standards. We find that new federal funding is sufficient to support very low standards for student performance, but cannot come close to funding high standards without implausibly large increases in school-district efficiency. Because of the limited federal funding and the severe penalties in NCLB when a school does not meet its state's standards, states have a strong incentive to keep their standards low. NCLB needs to be reformed so that it will encourage high standards.

Suggested Citation

  • William Duncombe & Anna Lukemeyer & John Yinger, 2008. "The No Child Left Behind Act," Public Finance Review, , vol. 36(4), pages 381-407, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:36:y:2008:i:4:p:381-407
    DOI: 10.1177/1091142107305220
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1091142107305220
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1091142107305220?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johnson, James D. & MacDonald, Stephen & Meyer, Leslie A. & Skelly, Carol, 2002. "The United States And World Cotton Outlook," Agricultural Outlook Forum 2002 33521, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Outlook Forum.
    2. Brian A. Jacob & Steven D. Levitt, 2003. "Rotten Apples: An Investigation of the Prevalence and Predictors of Teacher Cheating," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 118(3), pages 843-877.
    3. Downes, Thomas A. & Pogue, Thomas F., 1994. "Adjusting School Aid Formulas for the Higher Cost of Educating Disadvantaged Students," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 47(1), pages 89-110, March.
    4. Cullen, Julie Berry, 2003. "The impact of fiscal incentives on student disability rates," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(7-8), pages 1557-1589, August.
    5. -, 2002. "United States economic outlook: quarterly developments," Oficina de la CEPAL en Washington (Estudios e Investigaciones) 28818, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    6. Ladd, Helen F., 2001. "School-Based Educational Accountability Systems: The Promise and the Pitfalls," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 54(2), pages 385-400, June.
    7. Ladd, Helen F., 2001. "School-Based Educational Accountability Systems: The Promise and the Pitfalls," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 54(n. 2), pages 385-400, June.
    8. -, 2002. "United States economic outlook: quarterly developments," Oficina de la CEPAL en Washington (Estudios e Investigaciones) 28817, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    9. Walter Groszyk, 2002. "Outcome-focused Management in the United States," OECD Journal on Budgeting, OECD Publishing, vol. 1(4), pages 129-150.
    10. Caroline M. Hoxby, 2002. "The Cost of Accountability," NBER Working Papers 8855, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Hanushek, Eric A. & Raymond, Margaret E., 2001. "The Confusing World of Educational Accountability," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 54(n. 2), pages 365-84, June.
    12. ., 2002. "Combining revealed and states preference techniques," Chapters, in: Economic Valuation with Stated Preference Techniques, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Downes, Thomas A. & Pogue, Thomas F., 1994. "Adjusting School Aid Formulas for the Higher Cost of Educating Disadvantaged Students," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 47(1), pages 89-110, March.
    14. ., 2002. "Commissioning a states preference study," Chapters, in: Economic Valuation with Stated Preference Techniques, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Duncombe, William & Yinger, John, 2000. "Financing higher student performance standards: the case of New York State," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 363-386, October.
    16. -, 2002. "United States economic outlook: quarterly developments," Oficina de la CEPAL en Washington (Estudios e Investigaciones) 28819, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    17. Hanushek, Eric A. & Raymond, Margaret E., 2001. "The Confusing World of Educational Accountability," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 54(2), pages 365-384, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, 2012. "Fiscal effects of budget referendums: evidence from New York school districts," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 77-95, January.
    2. Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong & Yeung, Ryan, 2010. "What is paratransit worth?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 44(10), pages 841-853, December.
    3. Wang, Wen & Duncombe, William D. & Yinger, John M., 2011. "School District Responses to Matching Aid Programs for Capital Facilities: A Case Study of New York’s Building Aid Program," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 64(3), pages 759-794, September.
    4. Gronberg, Timothy J. & Jansen, Dennis W. & Taylor, Lori L., 2011. "The Impact of Facilities on the Cost of Education," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 64(1), pages 193-218, March.
    5. Morten Anstorp Rosenkvist, 2010. "Using Student Test Results for Accountability and Improvement: A Literature Review," OECD Education Working Papers 54, OECD Publishing.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Julie Berry Cullen & Randall Reback, 2006. "Tinkering Toward Accolades: School Gaming Under a Performance Accountability System," NBER Working Papers 12286, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Claus M. Hoerandner & Robert J. Lemke, 2006. "Can No Child Left Behind Close The Gaps In Pass Rates On Standardized Tests?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 24(1), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Tae Ho Eom & William Duncombe & Phuong Nguyen-Hoang & John Yinger, 2014. "The Unintended Consequences of Property Tax Relief: New York’s STAR Program," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 9(4), pages 446-480, October.
    4. Bo Zhao, 2023. "Estimating the cost function of connecticut public K–12 education: implications for inequity and inadequacy in school spending," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(4), pages 439-470, July.
    5. Duncombe, William & Yinger, John, 2005. "How much more does a disadvantaged student cost?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 513-532, October.
    6. William Duncombe & John Yinger, 2001. "Does School Consolidation Cut Costs?," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 33, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    7. William Duncombe & Anna Lukemeyer & John Yinger, 2004. "Education Finance Reform in New York: Calculating the Cost of a 'Sound Basic Education' in New York City," Center for Policy Research Policy Briefs 28, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    8. Mansfield, Jonathan & Slichter, David, 2021. "The Long-Run Effects of Consequential School Accountability," IZA Discussion Papers 14503, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Kalyan Chakraborty & John Poggio, 2008. "Efficiency and Equity in School Funding: A Case Study for Kansas," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 14(2), pages 228-241, May.
    10. David N. Figlio & Lawrence S. Getzler, 2002. "Accountability , Ability and Disability: Gaming the System," NBER Working Papers 9307, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Bo Zhao, 2020. "How to Design a State Education Aid Formula That Is Equitable, Adequate, and Politically Feasible: The Case of Connecticut," Working Papers 21-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    12. repec:kap:iaecre:v:14:y:2008:i:2:p:228-241 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Tahir Andrabi & Jishnu Das & Asim Ijaz Khwaja, 2017. "Report Cards: The Impact of Providing School and Child Test Scores on Educational Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(6), pages 1535-1563, June.
    14. Marvin E. Dodson & Thomas A. Garrett, 2004. "Inefficient Education Spending in Public School Districts: A Case for Consolidation?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 22(2), pages 270-280, April.
    15. Stan Chervin & Kelly Edmiston & Matthew N. Murray, 2000. "Urban Malls, Tax Base Migration, and State Intergovernmental Aid," Public Finance Review, , vol. 28(4), pages 309-334, July.
    16. Miriam Hortas-Rico & Vicente Rios, 2020. "Is there an optimal size for local governments? A spatial panel data model approach," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(7), pages 958-973, July.
    17. Ludger Wößmann, 2006. "Bildungspolitische Lehren aus den internationalen Schülertests: Wettbewerb, Autonomie und externe Leistungsüberprüfung," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(3), pages 417-444, August.
    18. Duncombe, William & Yinger, John, 2000. "Financing higher student performance standards: the case of New York State," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 363-386, October.
    19. Rajashri Chakrabarti, 2013. "Vouchers, Public School Response, And The Role Of Incentives: Evidence From Florida," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 500-526, January.
    20. Jeremy Clark & Susmita Roy Das & Andrea Menclova, 2017. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of School Funding and Targeting Different Measures of Student Disadvantage: Evidence from New Zealand," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 93(303), pages 576-599, December.
    21. Brian A. Jacob, 2002. "Accountability, Incentives and Behavior: The Impact of High-Stakes Testing in the Chicago Public Schools," NBER Working Papers 8968, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:36:y:2008:i:4:p:381-407. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.