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This paper investigates estimation methods to model the relationship between school district size, costs per student and the organisation of school districts. We show that the assumptions on the functional form strongly affect the estimated scale economies and offer two possible solutions to allow for more flexibility in the estimation method. First, we introduce a model by adding higher-degree district size polynomials, allowing for multiple optima. Second, we develop a Fourier cost function, innovative in the literature on scale economies in education. We then compare both models to classical approaches in the literature. We illustrate how a minor change in the estimation method can alter policy conclusions significantly using Flemish school district data. In doing so, we find sizeable potential cost savings from the consolidation of school districts, especially at the lower tail of the district–size distribution. The organisational transition from small to large school districts is characterised by an interval between two optima. Beyond an apparent slowdown in cost savings in medium-sized school districts, cost savings from school district consolidation increase again, up to the optimal size of around 6,500 students. Beyond this optimum, school districts incur diseconomies of scale. The commonly used quadratic form ('U'-shaped cost function) overestimates scale economies, and fails to identify the interval between both optima.

With the end of civil war in 1991, Ethiopia’s government launched a New Education and Training Policy in 1994 which, by the early 2000s, had already produced remarkable results. The gross enrollment ratio rose from 20 to 62 percent in primary education between 1993-94 and 2001-02; and in secondary and higher education it climbed, respectively, from 8 to 12 percent and from 0.5 to 1.7 percent. Yet the government can hardly afford to rest on its laurels. Primary education is still not universal, and already there are concerns about plummeting educational quality and the growing pressures to expand post-primary education. Addressing these challenges will require more resources, both public and private. Yet money alone is insufficient. Focusing on primary and secondary education, Education in Ethiopia argues for wise tradeoffs in the use of resources—a result that will often require reforming the arrangements for service delivery. These changes, in turn, need to be fostered by giving lower levels of government more leeway to adapt central standards—such as those for teacher recruitment and school construction—to local conditions, including local resource constraints; and by strengthening accountability for results at all levels of administration in the education system.

This book analyzes skills demand and supply in Sri Lanka and scrutinizes how skills are formed, the factors shaping skills demand, and the responsiveness of the system. Sri Lanka has made strong progress in economic growth and poverty reduction. Economic growth and structural changes in the economy, however, make skills development imperative as Sri Lanka implements its the Mahinda Chintana plan to become a regional hub in strategic economic areas. Yet, skills shortages and mismatches are widespread, and firms with undereducated employees and a shortage of skilled labor are less productive. This book proposes an effective skills development system to help diversify the country's economy, improve its labor productivity and competitiveness, offer the country the flexibility to compete effectively in the global economy, and further reduce poverty in the country. After the book's introduction to the Mahinda Chintana plan, chapter two describes the general education and training system in Sri Lanka, especially the TVET sector. Chapter three examines the main drivers of skills demand and skills mismatches and gaps in Sri Lanka. Chapter four studies the relationship between education, training, and labor market outcomes, including skills already available in the workforce. Chapters five and six analyze factors affecting the skills supply system, such as cost, financing, and governance and also private sector provision. Chapter seven briefly reviews firm-based training in Sri Lanka based on evidence from the employer survey. Chapter eight assesses workforce development policies in Sri Lanka based on the World Bank's Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) framework. Finally, chapter nine provides the summary of main findings and outlines possibilities for the way forward in skills development in Sri Lanka. Please note that Figure 5.2 in the book is incorrect, and should be replaced by the corresponding figure in volume 2 of this report.

In Romania, the state pre-university education system is mainly supported by ensuring funding from public funds by the central and local authorities, represented by the Ministry of Education, respectively the local councils through the administrative-territorial units within whose jurisdiction the schools are located. The financing of these school units is based on the determination of the standard cost per student, which is the main indicator in substantiating the budget allocations, being a complex of factors related to the region, the area, the environmentfrom which the beneficiaries ofthe education services come, the language of instruction and the level of education. The main objective for which the schools are financed is to provide quality education services, so that the instructive-educational process to be carried out in optimal conditions. But, as in any field, effectively supporting the education system can be a real challenge. The present work has as objective the analysis of the way in which a lower secondary education unit in the rural area was financed, how the budget was substantiated through the possible funding sources and how the stringent needs of the instructive-educational process were covered through the existing resources. The topic under discussion will also present the constraints caused by poor funding, but also the opportunities arising from effective funding.

This thematic study discusses strategies for sustainable financing of secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report provides insight into options for financing the expansion of secondary education and training in Africa. This comes with a hefty price tag and points to the need to undertake fundamental reforms swiftly. This publication messages are clear: secondary education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa faces the challenge of improved efficiency and improved quality simultaneously with a fast growing demand. Sustainable financing will also require more effective public-private partnerships, because governments have many priorities and do not have a lot of room for significant additional public funding of post-primary systems. Educational reforms are needed to expand enrollment in secondary schooling in affordable ways. These reforms will contribute to poverty reduction by increasing the levels of knowledge, skills, and capability; diminishing inequalities in access that limit social mobility and skew income distribution; and contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that relate to education.

In this paper we present a cross-sectional and intertemporal statistical analysis of the administration expenditure of a large sample of United Kingdom universities. The purpose of the analysis is partly to examine the use of regression analysis as a basis for the distribution of publicly provided recurrent funds between universities, and partly to investigate the scope for economies of scale in administration expenditure. We find that there are considerable economies in administration expenditure for the expansion of small institutions because of the initial \"setting up\" costs, but beyond about 4,000 students the economies of scale become small. The economy to be gained from expanding a university of average size over the period 1971/72-1976/77, expressed in index form, agrees very closely with that suggested by the University Grants Committee, presumably on the basis of its own regression analysis. A comparative analysis of the university administration expenditures, however, shows a significant variation of individual institutions about the regression line, and this casts doubt on the usefulness of regression analysis as a basis for the allocation of funds between universities.

Abstract Cost analyses are used to determine overall costs of implementing evidence-based programming and may help decision makers determine how best to allocate finite resources. Child sexual abuse (CSA), regularly viewed as a human rights violation, is also a public health concern estimated to impact 27% of females and 5% of males by age 18. Universal, school-based CSA programs are one prevailing prevention strategy. However, there are no known cost analyses of school-based CSA prevention programming, thereby limiting potential scalability. Using the ingredients method, this cost analysis presents the findings of implementing Safe Touches, an evidence-based universal prevention program, across four sites (i.e., counties) in one mid-Atlantic state. Reaching a total of 14,235 s grade students, results indicate an average cost of $43 per student, an average classroom cost of $859, an average district cost of $10,637, and an average site cost of $154,243. There was a noted decrease in costs when more students were reached, suggesting a need to focus efforts on bolstering the reach of implementation efforts. Sensitivity analyses explored variations in implementation constraints such as personnel and facilities suggesting a range of per-student costs (lower-bound per-student cost = $34; upper-bound per-student cost = $64). Findings presented herein may be used to inform future universal CSA prevention efforts by providing detailed information about the costs of large-scale implementation of an evidence-based program among elementary-aged children.

Background In 2024, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare enforced a policy to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 over the next 5 years, despite opposition from doctors. This study aims to predict the trend of excess or shortage of medical personnel in Korea due to the policy of increasing the number of medical school students by 2035. Methods Data from multiple sources, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Health Insurance Corporation, and the Korean Medical Association, were used to estimate supply and demand. The inflow-outflow method was used for supply estimation, and assumptions were made regarding national medical examination pass rates, clinical physician consultation rates, mortality rates, and overseas emigration rates. Per capita medical use by gender and age group in 2022 was calculated for demand estimation of future medical use, and the results of future population projections were applied. The numbers of working days examined were 265, 275, 285, and 289.5 days. Results The Korean government’s prediction that there will be a shortage of 10,000 doctors in 2035 can be confirmed by the underestimation of the number of working days (265 days). However, if the actual number of working days, 289.5 days, is applied, not only will there be no shortage of doctors in 2035, but there could also be an oversupply of 3,000 doctors. If the number of medical school students has increased for five years and the public’s medical use behavior and the number of working days for doctors are maintained at the current level, there is a possibility that there will be an oversupply of as many as 11,000 doctors by 2035. Conclusions Medical experts expressed concerns that the rapid increase in medical school enrollment would exacerbate the phenomenon of concentration, increase the cost of medical care, and collapse the medical system. In order to establish a reasonable plan for the supply and demand of medical personnel in the mid- to long-term, it is necessary to consider the future medical environment through discussions with medical providers and related organizations.

School leaders are tasked with addressing a variety of academic, behavioral, and social-emotional concerns but struggle to do so with limited resources. Because resources are limited, researchers and practitioners need to consider not only what works but also at what cost. Economic evaluations apply specific methods to assess and contextualize the costs and effects of evidence-based practices to help compare interventions and proactively inform resource allocation, but these have rarely been conducted in school psychology. The goals of this special issue are to define economic evaluation methods that could be used in school psychology, to highlight research examining the cost-effectiveness of evidence-based practices, and to examine the costs of translating and scaling evidence-based practices to bridge the research-practice gap. In this introductory article, we describe several methods for conducting economic evaluations, provide empirical demonstrations of these methods, and outline available resources for readers to conduct economic evaluations in the future.

INTRODUCTION: Technology, distance learning, and social media have changed the landscape of physical therapy education. Modifications are needed to meet the needs of applicants and align with the current healthcare environment. PURPOSE: To identify the most important factors students consider when selecting a physical therapist education program. METHODS: A survey including free response options was shared with physical therapist education program students by chairpersons and through student interest groups. RESULTS: 545 responses representing 46 states and all CAPTE geographical regions were analyzed. The most important factors when selecting a program were: location (65.9%), tuition (64.8%), perception of physical therapy education quality (39.1%), and national board pass rate (34.1%). The least important factors were: technology utilization (74.3%), class size (46.1%), and national ranking/reputation (45.1%). Also, the majority of respondents preferred in-person educational delivery (94.7%). 75.4% reported program length was not a factor in applying to a program. CONCLUSIONS: Programs should seek to meet the needs of applicants with consideration of meaningful elements in choosing a program. Students ranked \"location\" and \"tuition\" as primary considerations for choosing a program, which may be related to curtailing debt by living at home while in school. \"Program quality,\" over \"reputation/ranking,\" suggests the importance of a robust curriculum, which is viewed as a predictor of passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).