EFFICIENCY IN MEXICAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: A REGIONAL COMPARATIVE
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is twofold: To measure school technical efficiency and to identify the determinants of elementary school performance among Mexican states. Our panel data consist of 48,645 public elementary schools observed annually from 2009 to 2011, a period where subnational states administered most of the educational expenditure. We propose a two-stage analysis. In the first stage, the stochastic frontier analysis is used to calculate elementary schools’ technical efficiency. In the second stage, efficiency is regressed on school characteristics and environmental variables using panel data analysis while capturing state heterogeneity. We find that primary schools have important inputs under their control that affects educational outcomes. The principal’s non-teaching load, infrastructure, teaching experience, and expenditure per student all have a positive and significant effect on efficiency. As for state-level characteristics, we find that states’ primary school spending is not necessarily positively linked to efficiency. Finally, we observe that fragmentation and regionalization of teachers’ unions negatively affect efficiency in elementary public education.
EFICIENCIA EN LAS ESCUELAS PRIMARIAS MEXICANAS: UNA COMPARACIÓN REGIONAL
RESUMEN
Nuestro propósito es medir la eficiencia técnica de las escuelas primarias e identificar los determinantes de su desempeño entre los estados mexicanos. Los datos de nuestro panel consisten en 48 645 escuelas primarias públicas observadas anualmente entre 2009 y 2011, periodo donde los estados subnacionales administraron la mayor parte del gasto educativo. Proponemos un análisis en dos etapas. En la primera, el análisis de la frontera estocástica se utiliza para calcular la eficiencia técnica de las escuelas primarias. En la segunda, la eficiencia se estima en función de las características de la escuela y las variables de su entorno mediante el análisis de datos de panel controlando por la heterogeneidad entre los estados. Encontramos que factores como el que el director no cuente con carga docente, la infraestructura, la experiencia docente y el gasto por alumno tienen un efecto positivo y significativo en la eficiencia de las escuelas. En cuanto a las características a nivel estatal, el gasto en educación primaria de los estados no está necesariamente relacionado positivamente con la eficiencia de las escuelas. Finalmente, observamos que la fragmentación y la regionalización de los sindicatos de docentes afectan negativamente la eficiencia en la educación pública primaria.
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