| Previous studies that assess public school district efficiency have been restricted in practical research. Most studies base efficiency on student achievement, which can be convoluted due to the demographics of a public school district. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of public education in a more meaningful way. This research utilized student achievement, student growth related to value-added gains, as well as graduation rates of individual school districts. Specifically, this study sought to identify the most efficient public school districts in Tennessee to advocate for a collaborative better business practice approach in public education. After identifying variables that were significantly related to student value-added gains, achievement, and graduation rates, the researcher utilized those variables to perform a data envelopment analysis to determine a relative efficiency rating of each school district in Tennessee. Moreover, an efficiency reference set (ERS) was utilized to determine the most efficient school districts in the state of Tennessee per category, dividing districts based on average daily attendance (ADA), urban-centric locales, and by the Centers of Regional Excellence (CORE) territories based on the 3-year academic period of 2011-2012, 2012- 2013, and 2013-2014 correlated school district results. The results rendered the most efficient public school districts in each category. Implications and recommendations for school district leaders are discussed at the conclusion of this report based on the key findings. |
