| Abstract [eng] |
Socioeconomic status (SES) serves as a robust predictor of student achievement, with high SES students consistently demonstrating superior academic outcomes compared to their socioeconomically disadvantaged peers. Across countries, the achievement gap influenced by SES disparities exhibits varying degrees and manifestations. Education systems bear a significant responsibility in tackling this gap, as exemplified by successful practices in countries that have effectively narrowed it. Empirical evidence suggests that allocating additional resources can uplift academic achievement among students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. As a result, there is potential to mitigate the SES gap through the implementation of fair education financing. In light of the intricate and diverse nature of the school funding system, involving multiple levels of government, a pressing inquiry emerges: how can funds be allocated to students and schools in greatest need, thereby diminishing the achievement gap? The study will employ data from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey of 15-year-old students to determine the dependent variable. With school funding indicators serving as the independent variables, the objective of the study is to identify which elements within the funding system significantly impact the variation of the achievement gap across different countries. To achieve this goal, the study will undertake the following tasks: 1. Conceptualise and operationalise independent variables, such as school financing policy and its features 2. Formulate hypotheses based on existing theoretical and empirical evidence regarding the potential impact of independent variables on the SES-based achievement gap. 3. Determine and assess control variables, including socioeconomic indicators of states and attributes of the education system that might influence the achievement gap. 4. Analyse the influence of independent variables on the student achievement gap. 5. Confirm or refute the study's hypotheses. To answer the above study questions, the following hypotheses are investigated: 1. Emphasizing adequacy principles - allocating higher funds per student's education – results in a narrower student achievement gap. 2. Achieving equity in the education system's financing, both vertically and horizontally (considering socioeconomic disparities between regions and allocating more funds to students with disadvantaged SES), contributes to a reduced achievement gap among students. 3. Only integrating the characteristics of both adequate and fair funding approaches results in a diminished gap in student achievement. The study confirmed the third hypothesis that a combination of fair and adequate funding would be most effective in reducing the achievement gap. The absence of a relationship between funding formulas and the student achievement gap highlights the complex nature of the connection. Implementing a formula does not ensure sufficient resources or vertical equity ratios. Overly restrictive formulas also hinder efficiency and innovation in education. This study found that greater local government involvement in funding can reduce the achievement gap, supporting decentralization and local autonomy. This contributes to the debate on the importance of autonomy and decentralization in terms of resource allocation. However, the study found the contribution of local government funding percentage to be insignificant in explaining the achievement gap, while the role of local government itself was more significant. This implies that non-compliance with fiscal neutrality may not harm resource distribution, as education systems rely on multiple funding levels. Meanwhile, the absence of a relationship between increased funding and the achievement gap suggests that funding principles matter more than the amount of funding itself. |
