Do more resources mean better results? The relationship between direct school costs and performance in high school

Abstract This article evaluates the relationships that direct school costs and the organization of school places have with the performance of public schools, measured by the National High School Examination (Enem). It is based on the determinants of school performance from the school effect approach. This is a quantitative research, using multiple and quantum regressions, with fixed-effects panel data model. The sample was composed of Brazilian schools, analyzed between 2012 and 2015. The results indicate that there is a great oscillation in direct school costs between units of the same educational system, suggesting inequality in the distribution of financial resources. The findings also suggest that direct school costs do not explain the school results in the Enem exam, and that more resources do not necessarily translate into better performance. Finally, the findings indicate that the way in which resources are mobilized (in a planned and purposeful manner) can be the differential for learning. In addition, the study proposes a methodology to calculate direct school costs.