The Technical Efficiency of High Schools
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education sciences Article The Technical Efficiency of High Schools: The Case of a Greek Prefecture Dimitrios Halkiotis 1 ID , Ilias Konteles 2 and Vasiliki Brinia 3,* 1 Educational Policy Institute, 36, A. Tsoha Street, PC 11521 Athens, Greece; [email protected] 2 Junior High School of Malesina, PC 35001 Fthiotida, Greece; [email protected] 3 Athens University of Economics & Business—Teacher Education Program 76, Patision Street, PC 10434 Athens, Attica, Greece * Correspondence: [email protected] or [email protected] Received: 25 April 2018; Accepted: 4 June 2018; Published: 6 June 2018 Abstract: Scarce human and fiscal resources of high value are spent in the field of education. Thus, the concept of efficiency, and particularly technical efficiency, that refers to the maximization of outputs at a given set of inputs, can be a possible contribution to the design of education policy and administration; mostly at a time of economic crisis as this in Greece, research could assist in formulating proposals on how resources are actually used within education structures/services, as well as in providing guidance to those responsible for the internal allocation of funds so as to secure greater educational results and benefits. The aim of this study is to measure the degree of technical efficiency of the 23 High Schools (Lyceums) in the Prefecture of Fthiotida in Greece, using the model of Data Envelopment Analysis and explore the factors that could interrelate with these measurements. The results provide evidence that a low percentage of school units (34.8%) achieves maximum technical efficiency. Proposals for improving the technical efficiency of the specific schools are also made. Keywords: secondary education; technical efficiency; inputs-outputs; Data Envelopment Analysis 1. Introduction School efficiency is a major issue worldwide for several reasons. In Greece, the efficiency of High Schools has never been assessed. The Greek Government has been facing a huge economic and financial crisis since 2010, and, therefore it is crucial to provide upper secondary education in a more effective manner that enables existing limited resources to meet the demand for it. This is a major policy issue, considering the austerity of Greek Public Sector. The focus in this paper is on the measurement of technical efficiency in the Senior High Schools in the Prefecture of Fthiotida in Central Greece, by using Data Envelopment Analysis. Analysis of technical efficiency in the specific region, which can be used as a pilot study, is valuable for officials and decision makers who are concerned with the effective use of scarce resources. It has to be stressed, that no other investigation of this kind has ever been made in Greece. The research hypothesis is that Senior High Schools in Fthiotida are not technically efficient, since the centralized governmental funding does not consider criteria of school efficiency, and thus there is room for greater efficiency. The paper is set out as follows. A short theoretical framework concerning the concept of efficiency, and more specifically the technical efficiency, is presented in Section2. The estimation methodology, inputs, outputs and data sources are presented in Section3. In Section4 technical efficiency measures of the 23 Senior High Schools are presented and discussed. Conclusions and Suggestions for policy makers as well as for further research are made in Section5. Educ. Sci. 2018, 8, 84; doi:10.3390/educsci8020084 www.mdpi.com/journal/education Educ. Sci. 2018, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 15 Educ. Sci. 2018, 8, 84 2 of 16 2. Literature Review 2. LiteratureTo evaluate Review the efficiency in the field of education, several educational assessment methodological tools have been proposed, which often appear dissimilar. The Data Envelopment AnalysisTo evaluate (DEA) thecomprises efficiency a remarkably in the field of wide education,-spread several methodology, educational whereby assessment the effectiveness methodological of collectivetools have decisions been proposed, can be estimated which often with appear a non-parametrical dissimilar. The process. Data EnvelopmentDEA accepts that Analysis the decision (DEA) unitcomprises (school) a remarkablyis a productive wide-spread unit which methodology, consumes resources whereby to the produce effectiveness several of outputs. collective decisions can beMeasuring estimated the with technical a non-parametrical efficiency of an process. administrative DEA accepts authorit thaty therequires decision the unitmeasurement (school) is of a itsproductive efficiency unit limit which [1] consumes. A method resources used in to producerecent decades several outputs.to measure technical efficiency by comparingMeasuring inputs the and technical outputs efficiency across a oflarge an administrativenumber of educational authority units requires is the the “Data measurement Envelopment of its Analysisefficiency” (DEA) limit [1 developed]. A method by used Charnes, in recent Cooper, decades and to Rhodes measure [2] technical (pp. 429– efficiency444), and bydescri comparingbed by Coelli,inputs Rao, and outputsand Battese across [3] aand large Cooper, number Seiford, of educational and Tone units[4]. is the “Data Envelopment Analysis” (DEA)In developedthe simplest by case Charnes, where Cooper,a process and or Rhodesunit has [ 2a] single (pp. 429–444), input or anda simple described output, by efficiency Coelli, Rao, is definedand Battese as: [3] and Cooper, Seiford, and Tone [4]. In the simplest case where a process or unit has a single input or a simple output, efficiency is 푶풖풕풑풖풕 defined as: 푬풇풇풊풄풊풆풏풄풚 = Output Efficiency = 푰풏풑풖풕 Input The most common processes and organic units have multiple disproportionate inputs and outputs,The and most this common complexity processes can andbe included organic unitsin a performance have multiple measurement disproportionate by defining inputs and efficiency outputs, asand follows: this complexity can be included in a performance measurement by defining efficiency as follows: 푻풐풕풂풍Total 푾풆풊품풉풕풆풅 Weighted Output푶풖풕풑풖풕 푬풇풇풊풄풊풆풏풄풚Efficiency= = 푻풐풕풂풍Total 푾풆풊품풉풕풆풅 Weighted Input푰풏풑풖풕 DEADEA is aa techniquetechnique based based on on linear linear programming programming to measure to measure the relative the relative performance performance of organic of organiceducational educational units, where units, the where presence the presence of multiple of inputsmultiple and inputs outputs and makes outputs it difficult makes toit comparedifficult [to5] compare(pp. 1–15). [5] DEA (pp. is 1 designed–15). DEA for is cases designed where for the cases profits where on the the scale profits of continuous on the scale economies of continuous of scale economiesare continuous of scale and whereare continuous there are noand market where prices there [6 ].are It isno an market approach prices comparing [6]. It is the an efficiency approach of comparingorganic units—such the efficiency as local educationof organic authorities, units—such schools, as universities—that local education produce authorities, several schools, separate universitiesoutputs using—that various produce inputs. several separate outputs using various inputs. TheThe advantages advantages of of DEA DEA are are that that it is it simple is simple to include to include multiple multiple outflows outflows and inputs and inputsin the model in the [model1] and [gives1] and us givessome usclues some as to clues where as toto wherelook for to efficiency look for efficiencyimprovements. improvements. It allows for It exchanges allows for betweenexchanges outflows between of outflowsdifferent oftypes different and gives types us and a small gives but us aclear small set but of clearefficient set ofeducational efficient educational units that canunits bethat compared can be with compared an inefficient with an educational inefficient educational unit [7]). unit [7]). TheThe increasing increasing cost cost for for education education (at (at least least relatively relatively to to the the average average inflation) inflation) leads leads to to a a growing growing literatureliterature on on the the efficiency efficiency of of education education [8] [.8 Figure]. Figure 1 taken1 taken by byDe DeWitte Witte and andLopez Lopez-Torres-Torres [9] (pp. [ 9] 339(pp.–363) 339–363) presents presents the number the number of papers of papers in a given in a given year yearas referenced as referenced on Google.scholar.com. on Google.scholar.com. FigureFigure 1. 1. PapersPapers on on Efficiency Efficiency in in education education (source: (source: google.scholar.com)google.scholar.com).. Educ. Sci. 2018, 8, 84 3 of 16 For most years, there is an increasing number of papers on the themes of efficiency and education (dashed line if the words are used separately in the paper), and ‘efficiency of education’ (full line if the words have been used in this exact phrase). As governments around the world struggle with doing more with less, efficiency analysis climbs to the top of the policy agenda [10]. Key studies as far as efficiency measures of secondary education is concerned, include the computing of efficiency for more than 8600 schools in 30 countries, using PISA 2012 data and a bootstrap version of Data Envelopment Analysis as a method [10]. This study found that given current levels of inputs it would be possible to increase achievement by as much as 27% if schools improved the way they use these resources and realized efficiency gains, and that efficiency scores vary considerably both between and within countries. Another interesting