ABSTRACT
As part of the learning process, educational pro-ductivity refers to whether the average level of some educational "output" (e.g., standardized test scores) increases or decreases according to some "input" (e.g., per-pupil expenditures). Researchers in this area face great challenges because the learning process is complex, so it is difficult to be exact about how social and economic factors are related to achievement. Still, sociologists have made substantial progress in understanding the social conditions that contribute to student achievement. What follows is a further definition of educational productivity, why it has been important, what the trends have been in indicators measuring it, and how families, schools, and communities contribute to it.
