(IN)EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN PARANÁ: A STUDY BASED ON DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS

Abstract

Considering the relevance of efficiency in the allocation of resources, we sought to investigate how (in)efficient public schools in Paraná were, in the years 2017 and 2019. Microdata from the Basic Education Evaluation System (SAEB) and the School Census were used. The methodology employed was the Data Envelopment Analysis. As inputs, we used school infrastructure scores, student socioeconomic level scores, percentage of teachers with college degrees, and principal's education. As an output, the scores obtained in the SAEB exam were used. The average efficiency of schools in 2017 was 0.8256 and in 2019 it was 0.8279. Rural schools were, on average, more efficient than urban schools and, among administrative dependencies, federal schools were the most efficient in both 2017 and 2019. The most central and southern mesoregions of the state had the highest efficiency averages and the eastern mesoregions were the least efficient. In addition, it was verified management variables that can be objects of public policy makers to promote the elevation of educational efficiency, such as the parents of students attending meetings, encouraging their children to study and not to miss classes, and the teacher passing and correcting homework.