ERIC Number: EJ892964
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1557-3060
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Noninstructional Spending Improves Noncognitive Outcomes: Discontinuity Evidence from a Unique Elementary School Counselor Financing System
Reback, Randall
Education Finance and Policy, v5 n2 p105-137 Spr 2010
Children's noncognitive skills, mental health, and behavior are important predictors of future earnings and educational attainment. Their behavior in the classroom also affects their peers' behavior and achievement. There is limited prior evidence, however, concerning the impact of school resources on student behavior. Some elementary schools employ counselors whose primary purpose is to help improve students' behavior, mental health, and noncognitive skill acquisition. This article estimates regression discontinuity models exploiting Alabama's unique financing system for school counselors. Alabama fully subsidizes counselor appointments for all elementary schools, with the number of appointments based on schools' prior year enrollments using discrete enrollment cutoffs. The results suggest that greater counselor subsidies reduce the frequency of disciplinary incidents but do not strongly influence mean student achievement test scores. Increases in counselors moderate relatively severe behavioral problems without necessarily improving systemic behavior affecting classroom learning.
Descriptors: Educational Finance, Expenditures, Financial Support, School Counselors, Elementary Schools, Student Behavior, Behavior Problems, Discipline, Mental Health, Academic Achievement
MIT Press. 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. Tel: 617-253-2889; Fax: 617-253-1709; e-mail: journals-rights@mit.edu; Web site: http://www.mitpressjournals.org.bibliotheek.ehb.be/loi/edfp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: Counselors
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Alabama
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A