A Multilevel Study on Factors of School Effectiveness in Developing Countries: The Case of Brazilian Resources

Abstract

Classic research on school effectiveness ensures that the material resources of schools do not have any relevant effects on the academic performance of the pupils.  Such research was carried out in developed countries, with no serious economic problems. This research is based on a secondary data analysis from the evaluation of basic education in Brazil in 1995. Specifically, a multi-level study has been performed with data on pupils (6.471), teachers and schools (975), and the Brazilian Federal States (27). The main conclusion is that educational resources have an important impact on the academic development of the pupils, both with regard to the amount and quality of the resources and, above all, the use to which they are put.