1. DISSERTATION
ABSTRACT
AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURES PER SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN OKLAHOMA
BY DON ALAN BOGARD
Problem: Are students being left behind academically with decisions being made by
educational stakeholders without a full understanding of the relationship between school
spending and student academic performance. This study is intended to explain the way in which
administrative, instructional, and general fund cost are connected to the performance of students
in school districts throughout Oklahoma.
Explanation: There is a persistent myth that money does not matter in education, told in two
versions: One says there is no systematic relation between spending and achievement and the
other says we have been spending more but have not seen a commensurate gain in test scores.
Research is beginning to describe in unprecedented detail the spending patterns of schools, and
the money-performance link is key to an informed debate among education stakeholders, which
lead to decisions being made by key policy makers to increase academic performance in
Oklahoma.
Method: Multiple correlation and logistic regression, two separate, but related, procedures were
employed to analyze the school district data. Three dependent variables were derived from the
research questions.
Analysis/Findings: The purpose for conducting this study was to discover any relationships that
might exist between administrations, instructional and general fund expenditures and academic
performance of students in Oklahoma schools from 1997 through 1999, controlling for other
factors. The dollar amount per ADM of administration expenditure is directly related to the
academic performance of the students in Oklahoma and the size of the school district per ADM
was not related to percent of academic success in Oklahoma school districts.
Conclusion: The evidence presented here in this study shows a persistent link between school
spending and student performance and refutes the myth that money does not matter. The
challenge for the policymakers in the next decade and beyond is to set in place funding
mechanisms that adequately and equitably fund schools, building local capacity to improve the
quality and quantity of learning for all students