Much of the current debate over improving the quality of public school education is focused on funding. Conventional wisdom is that if the spending per student can be increased, then the educational outcomes can be improved. A review of the literature and the findings of this article conclude that such is not the case. There is no statistically significant positive correlation between funding and outcomes. This, perhaps, is due to the inefficient organizational structure of public education. These inefficiencies only increase with increased centralization of controls and mandates. This article, however, does discover other social factors, which may be beyond the purview of government policies, which do have a statistically significant impact on educational outcomes. Nevertheless, the argument for increased government funding of public schools is probably unwise social policy. To have a more efficient and compassionate educational system is going to require a paradigm shift.
Mark Ahlseen, "Separation of Food and State," Journal of Markets & Morality 7, no. 1 (Spring 2004): 113-122