<p><p>Information on schools' performance is central to the school choice process in England. This paper evaluates school performance tables against criteria of functionality, relevance and comprehensibility. We estimate a model to judge functionality by setting up the following question: 'In which feasible school will my child achieve the highest exam score?'. We show that neither of the current leading performance measures scores very well. We propose an alternative measure which performs better on relevance and comprehensibility and not significantly worse on functionality. We demonstrate how the measure could be best delivered to parents. We also describe the trade-offs between the criteria of functionality and relevance and between comprehensibility and relevance.</p></p>
Authors
Simon Burgess
Rebecca Allen
Journal article details
- Publisher
- Blackwell Publishing
- ISSN
- Print 0143-5671 Online:1475-5890
- JEL
- I20
- Issue
- August 2011
Suggested citation
Allen, R and Burgess, S. (2011). 'Can School League Tables Help Parents Choose Schools?' (2011)
More from IFS
Understand this issue
What does the Budget mean for the UK?
We discuss the Chancellor's first Budget and what impact the changes could have.
31 October 2024
Minimum wages in the UK – how high can they go?
In the UK today, earnings inequality is substantially higher than it used to be.
30 October 2024
We can’t have any more budgets where speculation is running wild
Rachel Reeves needs to deliver a clear statement of intent for the remainder of this government’s time in office
28 October 2024
Policy analysis
£390 million relief for English universities as government ends tuition fee freeze
We respond to government plans to increase the cap on tuition fees for England-domiciled undergraduate students.
4 November 2024
Real-terms departmental spending growth, 2024–25 to 2028–29, day-to-day spending and capital spending, plans at Spring Budget 2024 and Autumn Budget 2024
Rachel Reeves has topped up the day-to-day departmental spending plans inherited from Jeremy Hunt, but the increases are very front-loaded.
1 November 2024
Autumn Budget 2024: IFS analysis
At this online webinar IFS researchers presented their initial response to new Chancellor Rachel Reeves' first Budget.
Academic research
Identifying network ties from panel data: Theory and an application to tax competition
9 September 2024
The gender gap in household bargaining power: a revealed-preference approach
22 August 2024
Hours of work and the long-run effects of in-work transfers
21 August 2024