The appraisal of investments in educational facilities

This report is the result of a conference jointly organised by the Projects Directorate of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and by the OECD Programme on Educational Building in Luxembourg on 16-17 November 1998. The aim of the conference was to address issues covering basic aspects of investment in physical educational facilities and important issues in the economics of education. How are the economic rates of return of an educational investment to be evaluated? How is cost- effectiveness in such a sector measured? How can one be reasonably certain that the right sort of projects are financed, given the educational policy implemented in each country? This report is structured around four thematic chapters. The first theme aims at presenting a state of the art of the economic analysis of educational projects. The second theme focuses on the contribution of performance indicators in the evaluation of education systems. The third theme concerns the management of physical resources for education, especially the relationship between school environment and student achievement. The last theme addresses the design and equipment of physical facilities for education. (DIPF/orig.).