Analyzing School Finance Policy: Beyond a Quantitative Approach

This paper analyzes school finance policy (SFP) using an alternative hermeneutic approach along the line of fairness. This approach, in comparison with the quantitative approach, guides toward a better understanding of the tensions between the de jure and de facto policies. The analysis focuses on Israel as an interesting case study since its SFP was currently reformed. To this end, trends in legislation, Ministry-of-Education publications, and the Israeli Parliament’s protocols were analyzed. The findings reveal that an SFP is a disharmonic composition of “voices” that affects student outcomes. These findings are relevant to countries with high population diversity who wish to improve their educational attainment.