Is it really fair? A critical analysis of Israel’s school finance policy

This paper investigates fairness in school-finance policy (SFP) by
analyzing alternative principles of resource-allocation, using Israel as a
case study. Through various statistical measurements of fairness, the
paper reveals that Israel’s declared equity-oriented policy is
incongruent with de-facto policies, a possible reason for its poor
educational outcomes and wide gaps.
Aiming at a potentially more successful implementation of fairness, an
alternative theoretical SFP concept is introduced, taking into account
both improvement and compensation elements. The implications
concern all other countries with diverse populations who strive for
fairness and aim at improving their educational achievement
distribution via more effective allocation mechanisms.