Efficiency and effectiveness analysis of Chicago public elementary schools: 1989, 1991, 1993

This article reports on research designed to respond to a set of problems n ormally associated with the assessment of school performance. It is more co ncerned with specific resource effects in specific schools than with effect iveness and efficiency in the use of individual school resources in the ass essment of a system's performance over time. The emphasis is kan the overal l performance of the entire set of elementary schools in the Chicago Public School System rather than on the resource use in each school. Joining stan dard regression techniques,vith the results of data envelopment analysis, t he basic questions asked are the following: Are there discernible changes i n the performance of Chicago elementary school following the fundamental sc hool reforms of 1988-1989? Are these changes in the desired direction? The results suggest encouraging improvement in schooling outcomes over the peri od of study.