Article associated with these data

Variable
State
Region
Expenditure per pupil
Pupil/Teacher ratio
Teacher Salary
Percent of students taking SAT
SAT verbal
SAT math
SAT total

NAME: Getting What You Pay For: The Debate Over Equity in Public
School Expenditures
TYPE: Census
SIZE: 50 observations, 8 variables
DESCRIPTIVE ABSTRACT:
This dataset contains variables that address the relationship between
public school expenditures and academic performance, as measured by the
SAT.
SOURCE:
The variables in this dataset, all aggregated to the state level, were
extracted from the 1997 _Digest of Education Statistics_, an annual
publication of the U.S. Department of Education. Data from a number of
different tables were downloaded from the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES) website (Available at:
http://nces01.ed.gov/pubs/digest97/index.html) and merged into a single
data file.
VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS:
Columns
1 - 16 Name of state (in quotation marks)
18 - 22 Current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance
in public elementary and secondary schools, 1994-95
(in thousands of dollars)
24 - 27 Average pupil/teacher ratio in public elementary and
secondary schools, Fall 1994
29 - 34 Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public
elementary and secondary schools, 1994-95 (in thousands of
dollars)
36 - 37 Percentage of all eligible students taking the SAT, 1994-95
39 - 41 Average verbal SAT score, 1994-95
43 - 45 Average math SAT score, 1994-95
47 - 50 Average total score on the SAT, 1994-95
REFERENCES:
Hawkins, J. A. (1994), "Money Matters! But What Difference Does It Make
to Schools and Students?" _NASSP Bulletin_, 78, 19-26.
Powell, B., and L. C. Steelman (1984), "Variations in State SAT
Performance: Meaningful or Misleading?" _Harvard Educational Review_,
389-410.

36 - 37
39 - 41
43 - 45
47 - 50

Percentage of all eligible students taking the SAT, 1994-95

Average verbal SAT score, 1994-95
Average math SAT score, 1994-95
Average total score on the SAT, 1994-95

REFERENCES:
Hawkins, J. A. (1994), "Money Matters! But What Difference Does It Make
to Schools and Students?" _NASSP Bulletin_, 78, 19-26.
Powell, B., and L. C. Steelman (1984), "Variations in State SAT
Performance: Meaningful or Misleading?" _Harvard Educational Review_,
389-410.
Powell, B., and L. C. Steelman (1996), "Bewitched, Bothered and
Bewildering: The Use and Misuse of State SAT and ACT Scores," _Harvard
Educational Review_, 27-59.
Will, G. F. (September 12, 1993), "Meaningless Money Factor," _The
Washington Post_, C7.
SUBMITTED BY:
Deborah Lynn Guber
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
The University of Vermont
P.O. Box 54110
Burlington, VT 05405-4110
dguber@zoo.uvm.edu

Description
Name of state
Region
Current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public
elementary and secondary schools, 1994-95 (in thousands of dollars)
Average pupil/teacher ratio in public elementary and secondary schools,
Fall 1994
Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and
secondary schools, 1994-95 (in thousands of dollars)
Percentage of all eligible students taking the SAT, 1994-95
Average verbal SAT score, 1994-95
Average math SAT score, 1994-95
Average total score on the SAT, 1994-95

You Pay For: The Debate Over Equity in Public

es

, 8 variables

RACT:
variables that address the relationship between
ures and academic performance, as measured by the

ataset, all aggregated to the state level, were

7 _Digest of Education Statistics_, an annual
Department of Education. Data from a number of
ownloaded from the National Center for Education
site (Available at:
ubs/digest97/index.html) and merged into a single

TIONS:

e (in quotation marks)

enditure per pupil in average daily attendance
ntary and secondary schools, 1994-95
of dollars)
il/teacher ratio in public elementary and
ools, Fall 1994
verage annual salary of teachers in public
d secondary schools, 1994-95 (in thousands of

of all eligible students taking the SAT, 1994-95

bal SAT score, 1994-95
h SAT score, 1994-95
l score on the SAT, 1994-95

"Money Matters! But What Difference Does It Make

ts?" _NASSP Bulletin_, 78, 19-26.

teelman (1984), "Variations in State SAT

ful or Misleading?" _Harvard Educational Review_,

of all eligible students taking the SAT, 1994-95

bal SAT score, 1994-95
h SAT score, 1994-95
l score on the SAT, 1994-95

"Money Matters! But What Difference Does It Make

ts?" _NASSP Bulletin_, 78, 19-26.

teelman (1984), "Variations in State SAT

ful or Misleading?" _Harvard Educational Review_,

teelman (1996), "Bewitched, Bothered and

and Misuse of State SAT and ACT Scores," _Harvard
27-59.

12, 1993), "Meaningless Money Factor," _The

.

Science
ont

4110

State
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont

Expenditure Pupil/Teacher Teacher

Region
per pupil
ratio
Salary
South
4.405
17.2
31.144
West
8.963
17.6
47.951
West
4.778
19.3
32.175
South
4.459
17.1
28.934
West
4.992
24
41.078
West
5.443
18.4
34.571
Northeast
8.817
14.4
50.045
Northeast
7.03
16.6
39.076
South
5.718
19.1
32.588
South
5.193
16.3
32.291
West
6.078
17.9
38.518
West
4.21
19.1
29.783
Midwest
6.136
17.3
39.431
Midwest
5.826
17.5
36.785
Midwest
5.483
15.8
31.511
Midwest
5.817
15.1
34.652
South
5.217
17
32.257
South
4.761
16.8
26.461
Northeast
6.428
13.8
31.972
South
7.245
17
40.661
Northeast
7.287
14.8
40.795
Midwest
6.994
20.1
41.895
Midwest
6
17.5
35.948
South
4.08
17.5
26.818
Midwest
5.383
15.5
31.189
West
5.692
16.3
28.785
Midwest
5.935
14.5
30.922
West
5.16
18.7
34.836
Northeast
5.859
15.6
34.72
Northeast
9.774
13.8
46.087
West
4.586
17.2
28.493
Northeast
9.623
15.2
47.612
South
5.077
16.2
30.793
West
4.775
15.3
26.327
Midwest
6.162
16.6
36.802
West
4.845
15.5
28.172
West
6.436
19.9
38.555
Northeast
7.109
17.1
44.51
Northeast
7.469
14.7
40.729
South
4.797
16.4
30.279
West
4.775
14.4
25.994
South
4.388
18.6
32.477
West
5.222
15.7
31.223
West
3.656
24.3
29.082
Northeast
6.75
13.8
35.406

Percent of
students
taking
SAT
SAT
SAT
SAT
verbal
math total
8
491
538 1029
47
445
489
934
27
448
496
944
6
482
523 1005
45
417
485
902
29
462
518
980
81
431
477
908
68
429
468
897
48
420
469
889
65
406
448
854
57
407
482
889
15
468
511
979
13
488
560 1048
58
415
467
882
5
516
583 1099
9
503
557 1060
11
477
522
999
9
486
535 1021
68
427
469
896
64
430
479
909
80
430
477
907
11
484
549 1033
9
506
579 1085
4
496
540 1036
9
495
550 1045
21
473
536 1009
9
494
556 1050
30
434
483
917
70
444
491
935
70
420
478
898
11
485
530 1015
74
419
473
892
60
411
454
865
5
515
592 1107
23
460
515
975
9
491
536 1027
51
448
499
947
70
419
461
880
70
425
463
888
58
401
443
844
5
505
563 1068
12
497
543 1040
47
419
474
893
4
513
563 1076
68
429
472
901

Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

South
West
South
Midwest
West

5.327
5.906
6.107
6.93
6.16

14.6
20.2
14.8
15.9
14.9

33.987
36.151
31.944
37.746
31.285

65
48
17
9
10

428
443
448
501
476

468
494
484
572
525

896
937
932
1073
1001