Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 1035. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984. / The assumption that an increase in public spending in Florida would increase student achievement was examined using path analysis. Third grade school level data included family variables, per pupil expenditures from federal, State and local funds, and achievement measured by Statewide minimum competency tests in mathematics and communication. A recursive model was theorized. Under the set of assumptions of the causal model the following results could be expected. Disbursements of federal money based on percentage of disadvantaged students was supported for teacher but not substitute teacher salaries per pupil. With State funds, allocated solely by number of pupils served, increases in teacher salaries per pupil contributed to declining expenditures in all other funding categories but prorated school charges to the K-3 program. Unlike compensatory program results, the effect of teacher salaries on substitute teacher salaries per pupil with State funds was negative. This suggested more teacher absences with disadvantaged pupils. Some categories of expenditures were more effective in promoting pupil achievement than others. While increases in State expenditures for instructional equipment, professional services and teacher salaries per pupil appeared to improve achievement, those for substitute teachers and prorated school charges per pupil did not. School mean achievement appeared to decline with increased percentages of disadvantaged pupils, although large proportions of their total associations were spurious. Efforts through teacher salaries per pupil did not offset the initial disadvantages of the federally funded students to achieve, despite help from substitute teacher salaries per pupil. Inclusion of an ability measure and additional background variables seems advisable for future studies. The results from this study were conservative due to curtailed variation from various sources. However, it has indicated potentially successful and unsuccessful expenditures for fostering achievement, taking a step toward bridging the gap between implicit assumptions and practices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_67391 |
| Creators | Hokanson, Santa Lima |
| Publisher | Florida State University Libraries |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
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