The Economic Journal · 2015 · 363 citations · 25 references
Public AffairsEducation PolicyEducational MeasurementComparative Education PolicyEducation ReformEducational Policy ComparisonAcademic FunctioningEducation ExpenditureEducation Policy AnalysisBudgetary DiscretionFiscal Autonomy Of SchoolsInstructional Time UseSchool Accountability SystemsSchool AchievementStandardized Test ScoresStudent Achievement GapStudent Attainment Gaps
School instructional time varies across countries. The study investigates whether these differences explain international achievement gaps. Using PISA 2006 data from more than 50 countries, the authors estimate the effect of instructional time on student achievement. They find that instructional time improves test scores, though the effect is weaker in developing countries, and that its productivity is higher in nations with school accountability or budgetary autonomy.
The time that children spend in school varies across countries. Do these differences explain international gaps in pupils' academic achievements? In this article I estimate the effects of instructional time on students' achievement using PISA 2006 data, which include data samples from over 50 countries. I find that instructional time has a positive and significant effect on test scores, and that the effect is much lower in developing countries. Evidence also suggests that the productivity of instructional time is higher in countries which implemented school accountability measures or that gave schools autonomy in budgetary decisions and in hiring/firing teachers.
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Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement
Steven G. Rivkin, Eric A. Hanushek, John F. Kain · Econometrica · 2005 · 4.4K citations