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NaYoung Hwang
The Peer Effects of Grade Retention
Topics: Policy, Politics, and GovernanceWe study the peer effects of grade retention in the context of Indiana’s statewide third-grade retention policy. When a retention occurs, it changes the peer group for two cohorts: rising fourth graders who lose a peer and rising third graders who gain a peer. We identify peer effects in both… more →
Label to Help: The Effects of Special Education on Student Outcomes
Topics: Student LearningThis study examines the impact of special education on academic and behavioral outcomes for students with learning disabilities (LD) by using statewide Indiana data covering kindergarten through eighth grade. The results from student fixed effects models show that special education services… more →
Holding Back to Move Forward: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade on Student Outcomes
Topics: Student LearningWe evaluate the effects of grade retention on students’ academic, attendance, and disciplinary outcomes in Indiana. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that third grade retention increases achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) and math immediately and substantially, and the… more →
Spread Too Thin: The Effects of Teacher Specialization on Student Achievement
Topics: Student LearningAlthough the majority of elementary school teachers are in self-contained classrooms and teach all major subjects, a growing number of teachers specialize in teaching fewer subjects to higher numbers of students. We use administrative data from Indiana to estimate the effect of teacher… more →
Beyond tracking and detracking: The dimensions of organizational differentiation in schools
Tags: Ability grouping, EquitySchools utilize an array of strategies to match curricula and instruction to students’ heterogeneous skills. While generations of scholars have debated “tracking” and its consequences, the literature fails to account for diversity of school-level sorting practices.