21
Corresponding to this time frame (1977 to 1999), the average number of students in districts with
the worst SAT changes grew nearly four times faster than the number of schools per district.
Conversely, in states with the greatest improvement in SAT scores, the number of schools per
district increased while the number of students per school decreased.
It is important to note that states with the highest achievement losses experienced an overall
average enrollment growth that was roughly eight times greater than for states with the highest
achievement gains, roughly 24 percent and three percent, respectively. High-achieving states
were well below the national average enrollment growth of 8.6 percent from 1979 to 2002, and
low achieving states were well above the national average.
109
Nevertheless, ensuring the number
of schools per district keeps pace with explosive growth in student enrollment should be a
primary concern for state policymakers.
Competition, not Consolidation, Improves the Classroom
Consolidation efforts are designed to increase classroom spending by redirecting administrative
savings into the classroom. But administrative savings can be elusive, and if they do materialize,
there is no guarantee that they will reach their intended destination.
110
As explained above, the trend toward consolidation during most of the 20
th
century has reduced
the number of public schools. Because enrollment has grown steadily, the result is fewer, larger
schools. And, empirical research indicates a negative impact of consolidation on student
achievement scores. However, as the NCES explains, the rising number of alternative schools
has mitigated the average increase in school size.
111
The emergence of these schools is a recent
development, but the positive impact of even the limited amount of competition they offer
traditional public schools is already discernable.
In contrast to consolidation, the benefits of competition upon student performance and school
efficiency are well documented. In their meta-analysis of 41 empirical studies spanning 30
years, Columbia University researchers Clive R. Belfield and Henry M. Levin demonstrate that
the literature overwhelmingly shows a statistically significant, positive relationship between
competition and educational outcomes.
112
Nowhere is this trend more evident than in Arizona. Unlike many states that strictly regulate any
competition to public schools, Arizona lawmakers have introduced greater competition into the
state’s education system over the last decade.
113
A growing body of research indicates that not
only does educational innovation and freedom result in greater academic achievement for all
students, the introduction of educational competition, such as charter schools, scholarships, and
open enrollment, improves productivity for every per-pupil dollar spent.
Improving Competition thorough Open-Enrollment
Convention