An Analysis of the Investment in Public Education in Puerto Rico.
In the international literature there is a debate about whether an increase in public investment in public education is always accompanied by an improvement in academic achievement. There is a consensus that the investment made in supplies and equipment does positively impact academic achievement. T...
| Published in: | Caribbean Studies Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 1 - 34 |
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| Format: | Article |
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University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
Jan-Jun2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=188096778&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 188096778 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00086533 CRZ jtl: Caribbean Studies issn: 00086533 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan-Jun2025 vid: 53 iid: 1 pid: 1117 pub: University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus artinfo: ui: 188096778 10.1353/crb.2025.a968411 ppf: 1 ppct: 33 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 618KB tig: atl: An Analysis of the Investment in Public Education in Puerto Rico. aug: au: Cueto, José Caraballo affil: University of Puerto Rico su: Academic achievement Education policy Educational finance Public education Public investments sug: subj: Academic achievement Education policy Educational finance Other provincial and territorial public administration Administration of Education Programs Other local, municipal and regional public administration Educational Support Services All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction Public Finance Activities Public education Public investments keyword: educational budget PISA scores schools spending per pupil teachers educational budget PISA scores schools spending per pupil teachers ab: In the international literature there is a debate about whether an increase in public investment in public education is always accompanied by an improvement in academic achievement. There is a consensus that the investment made in supplies and equipment does positively impact academic achievement. This work analyzes the budget data of the Puerto Rico Department of Education (DE) during the fiscal years 2018 to 2020. The study found that the DE reduced its expenditure on supplies and equipment during the reference period, while it increased its administrative staff. As a result, the cost per student in the public-school program increased from 2018 to 2020, according to data from both the DE and the Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget (Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto). This increase was not accompanied by improvement in academic achievement, as measured by the standardized META tests. In fact, the academic achievement of DE schools is below that of other jurisdictions worldwide that make a similar investment per student. This international comparison was made using the results of PISA tests and the cost per student, which is shown in international databases that include Puerto Rico. This uniformity in the data allowed for an even comparison of academic achievement and cost per student by jurisdiction. It is concluded that it is necessary to provide the DE with financial resources, but it is also necessary to change the current appointment process to recruit better managers and to improve management practices. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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