This book looks at the long-standing disjunction between the beliefs of parents, students and educationalists that additional resources devoted to education improve students' learning outcomes and the continuing controversy amongst educational economists as to whether resources matter. Ros Levacic shows how this controversy has arisen from the methodological problems of establishing causal relationships between social phenomena. The author reviews the evidence from recent good quality UK studies and draws upon current research at the Institute of Education to investigate the relationship between school resources and attainment at Key Stage 3. The book concludes by suggesting how further progress with research in this field and the use of evidence from it can be made to inform policy making. Ros Levacic is Professor of Economics and Finance of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Author Biography

Rosalind Levacic is Professor Emeritus of Economics and Finance of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London.