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Assessing the Costs of Adequacy in California Public Schools: A Cost Function Approach

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  • Jennifer Imazeki

    (Department of Economics, San Diego State University)

Abstract

In this study, a cost function is used to estimate the costs for California districts to meet the achievement goals set out for them by the state. I calculate estimates of base costs (i.e., per pupil costs in a district with relatively low levels of student need) and marginal costs (i.e., the additional costs associated with specific student characteristics) for poverty, English learners, and special education and then compare these estimates with the findings from cost studies in other states, which have used a variety of methods, and with other cost studies in California. Because of institutional constraints in California, the cost function estimate of total costs to achieve adequacy (which relies critically on the estimated relationship between spending and outcomes) may be quite imprecise. Nevertheless, the cost function estimates of base and marginal costs are not inconsistent with other studies, though they fall on the low end of the spectrum. © 2008 American Education Finance Association

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Imazeki, 2008. "Assessing the Costs of Adequacy in California Public Schools: A Cost Function Approach," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 3(1), pages 90-108, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:3:y:2008:i:1:p:90-108
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    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/edfp.2008.3.1.90
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Buerger, Christian & Bifulco, Robert, 2019. "The effect of charter schools on districts’ student composition, costs, and efficiency: The case of New York state," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 61-72.
    4. William Duncombe & John Yinger, 2011. "Making do: state constraints and local responses in California’s education finance system," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 18(3), pages 337-368, June.
    5. Carla Haelermans & John Ruggiero, 2017. "Non-parametric estimation of the cost of adequacy in education: the case of Dutch schools," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 68(4), pages 390-398, April.
    6. Fritz Schiltz & Kristof Witte & Deni Mazrekaj, 2020. "Managerial efficiency and efficiency differentials in adult education: a conditional and bias-corrected efficiency analysis," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 288(2), pages 529-546, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    education costs; California;

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid

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