EdWorkingPapers
Distance to Opportunity: Higher Education Deserts and College Enrollment Choices
… We study how geographic access to public postsecondary institutions is associated with … and urban peers. We then show that students are sensitive to the distance they must travel to access public colleges … across students. In particular, we find that White and non-economically disadvantaged students respond to living far …We study how geographic access to public postsecondary institutions is associated with students’ college enrollment decisions across race and socioeconomic status. Leveraging rich administrative data, we first document substantial differences in students’ local college options, with White, Hispanic, and rural students having, on average, many fewer nearby options than their Black, Asian, suburban… more →
Overpoliced? A Descriptive Portrait of School-Based Targeted Police Interventions in New York City
… descriptive analysis of police intervention as a response to student behavior in New York City public schools. We find … years, arrests and juvenile referrals decreased while non-detainment-based and psychiatric police interventions … experienced higher rates of interventions relative to schools with fewer Black students, but these higher rates …This study provides a descriptive analysis of police intervention as a response to student behavior in New York City public schools. We find that between the 2016/17 and 2021/22 academic years, arrests and juvenile referrals decreased while non-detainment-based and psychiatric police interventions increased. However, Black students, especially those enrolled in schools located in predominantly… more →
Less is More: The Causal Effect of Four-Day School Weeks on Employee Turnover
… impact of 4dsw on student outcomes, but little research to date examines the effect on school employees even though schools in some locales have adopted 4dsw to recruit and retain staff. This paper examines the effect … increased turnover among teachers, but that turnover among non-teaching staff was largely unaffected. The findings …The use of four-day school weeks (4dsw) in the United States has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. Previous work examines the impact of 4dsw on student outcomes, but little research to date examines the effect on school employees even though schools in some locales have adopted 4dsw to recruit and retain staff. This paper examines the effect of 4dsw adoption in Oregon, a state with… more →
Impact of States' Adoption of Response to Interventions (RTI) on the Identification and Placement of Students in Special Education
… investigates the impact of states' adoption of Response to Interventions (RTI) on the identification and placement of … with Disabilities Education Act in 2004, is designed to improve the identification and support of children with … increased disability identification among non-White students relative to their White peers. … RTI, …This study investigates the impact of states' adoption of Response to Interventions (RTI) on the identification and placement of students in special education. RTI, adopted by the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004, is designed to improve the identification and support of children with learning disabilities within inclusive educational settings. Using… more →
Is Authorized Capacity a Good Measure of Child Care Providers’ Current Capacity? New evidence from Virginia
… of the site. However, the slots available across sites can be constrained by factors not captured by … capacity and “current capacity” is large, we stand to underestimate needed investments to improve access. This study quantifies the gap between …Demand for child care in the United States outpaces supply. Understanding access issues is critical for addressing them and supporting children, families, and the economy. However, the most widely available proxy for child care supply—authorized capacity—likely overestimates care availability. Authorized capacity represents the maximum children a provider can legally serve based on safety… more →
Pathways into the CTE Teaching Profession: A Descriptive Analysis of Degrees, Licenses, and Race in Maryland
… with a high school diploma or associate’s degree, aligned to state policy that allows Professional and Technical Education-certified teachers to substitute years of professional experience for higher … Relatedly, CTE teachers are substantially more likely than non-CTE teachers to enter the profession through an …Despite substantial interest in Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses in U.S. high schools—and associated scholarship on this topic—very little is known about characteristics of CTE teachers who are a critical resource for program implementation and expansion. Using eight years of statewide data from Maryland, we document key facts about the CTE teacher workforce and pathways into the… more →
Experimental Evidence of the Impact of Re-Enrollment Campaigns on Long-Term Academic Outcomes
… their desired credential. Many former students fail to graduate due to various barriers rather than their academic performance. To encourage previously successful non-completers to re-enroll and eventually graduate, a …Most students who begin at a community college do not complete their desired credential. Many former students fail to graduate due to various barriers rather than their academic performance. To encourage previously successful non-completers to re-enroll and eventually graduate, a growing number of community colleges have implemented re-enrollment campaigns focused on former students who have… more →
Teacher Retention and Quality in the Four-Day School Week
… better retain existing teachers and recruit new teachers to their district without incurring additional costs due to higher salaries or other pecuniary benefits. However, … another school and suggestive evidence that retention in non-adopting schools may be harmed by the four-day school …The four-day school week is a school calendar that has become increasingly common following the COVID-19 pandemic. Proponents of the calendar often claim that offering teachers a regular 3-day weekend will help schools better retain existing teachers and recruit new teachers to their district without incurring additional costs due to higher salaries or other pecuniary benefits. However, there is… more →
Staffing Interventions to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness: Evidence from New York City
… who experience distinct disadvantages compared to their low-income peers. We explore how two school staffing … 3-5 years. We discuss implications for the importance of non-instructional school staff and strategies to serve homeless students. … counseling/student services, …There is limited empirical evidence about educational interventions for students experiencing homelessness, who experience distinct disadvantages compared to their low-income peers. We explore how two school staffing interventions in New York City shaped the attendance outcomes of students experiencing homelessness using administrative records from 2013-2022 and a difference-in-differences design… more →
Information Frictions and Teacher Turnover
… matching markets experience high rates of instability due to information frictions. This paper analyzes these frictions … equilibrium model of labor mobility that incorporates non-pecuniary information frictions for school climate and … considered, including targeted wage premiums at hard-to-staff schools, large retention bonuses, and relaxed tenure …Many decentralized matching markets experience high rates of instability due to information frictions. This paper analyzes these frictions in a particularly unstable U.S. market, the labor market for first-year school teachers. We develop and estimate a dynamic, partial equilibrium model of labor mobility that incorporates non-pecuniary information frictions for school climate and teacher… more →
Inequity and College Applications: Assessing Differences and Disparities in Letters of Recommendation from School Counselors with Natural Language Processing
… of recommendation from school counselors are required to apply to many selective colleges and universities. Still, relatively little is known about how this non-standardized component may affect equity in admissions. …Letters of recommendation from school counselors are required to apply to many selective colleges and universities. Still, relatively little is known about how this non-standardized component may affect equity in admissions. We use cutting-edge natural language processing techniques to algorithmically analyze a national dataset of over 600,000 student applications and counselor recommendation… more →
Teachers of Color, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Student Outcomes: Experimental Evidence from the Random Assignment of Teachers to Classes
… of their Black students (0.7 and 0.8 SD) but not for non-Black students, potentially driven by role modeling; (2) … students’ social-emotional learning explain a moderate to large share of effects on more distal outcomes, including … many years later into high school; and (4) in addition to potential role-modeling channels, Black teachers bring …Black teachers are critical resources for our children and schools. Pairing experimental data with rich measures of teacher mindsets and practices and varied student outcomes, I document that: (1) Black teachers in upper-elementary grades have large effects on the self-efficacy and classroom engagement of their Black students (0.7 and 0.8 SD) but not for non-Black students, potentially driven by… more →
An Investigation of Head Start Preschool Children’s Executive Function, Early Literacy, and Numeracy Learning in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
… sample: mean age = 51 months; 46% Hispanic; 36% Black Non-Hispanic; 52% female) in a network of Head Start centers … experienced low in-person preschool exposure compared to national pre-pandemic norms. Children experienced fall to spring score gains during the pandemic-affected year of …The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on preschool children’s school readiness skills remains understudied. This research investigates Head Start preschool children’s early numeracy, literacy, and executive function outcomes during a pandemic-affected school year. Study children (N = 336 assessed at fall baseline; N = 237-250 assessed in spring depending on outcome; fall baseline sample: mean age = 51… more →
HBCU Enrollment and Longer-Term Outcomes
… similar portfolios and levels of interest in HBCUs and non-HBCUs who ultimately make divergent enrollment decisions … enrolling in HBCUs are 14.6 percentage points more likely to earn a BA degree and have 5 percent higher household … in an HBCU. Initially enrolling in an HBCU also leads to $12,000 more in outstanding student loans around age 30. …Using data from nearly 1.2 million Black SAT takers, we estimate the impacts of initially enrolling in an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) on educational, economic, and financial outcomes. We control for the college application portfolio and compare students with similar portfolios and levels of interest in HBCUs and non-HBCUs who ultimately make divergent enrollment decisions -… more →
Beyond Prescriptive Reforms: An Examination of North Carolina’s Flexible School Restart Program
… about reforms under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). To advance this literature, we examine North Carolina’s … by repackaging a traditionally sanction-based approach to instead motivate school leaders with increased autonomy. … effects in math, but not in English Language Arts or on non-test-based student outcomes. Also, nearly a quarter of …While multiple studies have examined the impact of school turnaround, less is known about reforms under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). To advance this literature, we examine North Carolina’s Restart (NCR) model. NCR aligns with ESSA by giving school leaders increased flexibility. Also, NCR differs from previous turnaround models by repackaging a traditionally sanction-based approach to… more →
Financial Deregulation, School Finance, and Student Achievement
… estimation reveals that deregulation leads to an increase in per-pupil total revenue and expenditure. The rise in revenue is primarily attributed to higher state revenues, while the expenditure increase is … student assessments from the Nation’s Report Card, we find that deregulation results in improved student …This paper studies how school spending impacts student achievement by exploiting the US interstate branching deregulation as state tax revenue shocks. Leveraging school finance data from universal school districts, our difference-in-differences estimation reveals that deregulation leads to an increase in per-pupil total revenue and expenditure. The rise in revenue is primarily attributed to… more →
A Profile of Career and Technical Education Teachers in the 21st Century
… Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are pivotal to students’ academic and career outcomes, research … In this study, we use nationally-representative data to describe changes in the nation’s CTE teacher workforce … diverse than in the past, though still less diverse than non-CTE teachers and far less diverse than the nation’s …Though Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are pivotal to students’ academic and career outcomes, research describing CTE teachers remains scant. In this study, we use nationally-representative data to describe changes in the nation’s CTE teacher workforce during a period of significant policy changes. Today’s CTE teachers are more frequently credentialed and more racially and… more →
The Effect of Universal Free School Meals on Child BMI
… we use student-level BMI measures from the FitnessGram to compare within-student outcomes before and after CEP implementation across eligible and non-eligible schools. We find one year of CEP exposure … percentile by about 0.085 standard deviations, equivalent to a nearly 1.88- pound weight increase for a student of …We estimate the effect of universal free school meal access through the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) on child BMI. Through the CEP, schools with high percentages of students qualified for free or reduced-priced meals can offer freebreakfast and lunchto all students. With administrative data from a large school district in Georgia, we use student-level BMI measures from the FitnessGram to… more →
The Stickiness of Pandemic-Driven Disenrollment from Public Schools
… The extent to which pandemic-induced public school enrollment declines … fall 2021 yields three relevant findings. First, relative to pre-pandemic trends, fall 2021 enrollment had partially … Black, and Hispanic students, but had declined further for non-low-income, White, and Asian students. Second, annual …The extent to which pandemic-induced public school enrollment declines will persist is unclear. Student-level data from Michigan through fall 2021 yields three relevant findings. First, relative to pre-pandemic trends, fall 2021 enrollment had partially recovered for low-income, Black, and Hispanic students, but had declined further for non-low-income, White, and Asian students. Second, annual… more →
School Turnaround in a Pandemic: An Examination of the Outsized Implications of COVID-19 for Low-Performing Schools and Their Communities
… gains on math and reading benchmark assessments than in non-turnaround districts. Our findings have implications for …Turnaround schools and districts that were charged with making rapid and dramatic improvements before the COVID-19 pandemic struck faced considerable challenges carrying out improvement efforts during pandemic schooling. Using survey and administrative data collected during the pandemic, we document some of the ways in which students and educators in Michigan’s turnaround schools and districts… more →
A Multi-State, Student-Level Analysis of the Effects of the Four-Day School Week on Student Achievement and Growth
… has relatively small, negative average effects (~-0.02 to -0.09 SD) on annual, standardized state test scores in … data. We conduct difference-in-differences analyses to estimate the effect of attending a four-day week school … effects of the schedule are disproportionately larger in non-rural schools than rural schools and for female students, …Four-day school weeks are becoming increasingly common in the United States, but their effect on students’ achievement is not well-understood. The small body of existing research suggests the four-day schedule has relatively small, negative average effects (~-0.02 to -0.09 SD) on annual, standardized state test scores in math and reading, but these studies include only a single state or are… more →
COVID-19 Diagnoses and University Student Performance: Evidence from Linked Administrative Health and Education Data
… university student, diagnosis and quarantine may cause non-trivial disruptions to learning. Using event study analysis, we find that a … most pronounced for male students, individuals with face-to-face instruction, and those with higher GPAs before the …We analyze the impact of COVID-19 diagnoses on student grades, retention, and on-time graduation at a large public university. Even though COVID-19 rarely causes major health complications for a typical university student, diagnosis and quarantine may cause non-trivial disruptions to learning. Using event study analysis, we find that a COVID-19 diagnosis decreased a student's term grade point… more →
Do Women Still Earn Less than Men after College Graduation: Evidence from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study 1993 Cohort
… characteristics are statistically adjusted to be equivalent? To answer this research question and better understand the … in causal settings) to gender wage gap decomposition, a non-causal setting. Making use of this new method, I analyze …Even though women have continuously caught up with men in education attainment and labor market participation since the 1970s, the wage gap between men and women still universally exists today. Do female college graduates still earn less than their male counterparts if men’s and women’s “profiles” of observed productivity-related characteristics are statistically adjusted to be equivalent? To… more →
Revolving School Doors? A Longitudinal Examination of Teacher, Administrator and Staff Contributions to School Churn
… Non-teaching staff comprise over half of all school employees … We use 11 years of administrative data from Oregon to examine mobility and exit among teachers, administrators, … of Teacher, Administrator and Staff Contributions to School Churn …Non-teaching staff comprise over half of all school employees and their turnover may be consequential for school operation, culture, and student success, yet we lack evidence documenting their attrition. We use 11 years of administrative data from Oregon to examine mobility and exit among teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and other staff. Although teachers dominate staff turnover… more →
Instructional Alignment is Associated with Sustained Benefits of PreK
… This study uses implementation fidelity data from PreK to 1st grade in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to measure instructional alignment and examine whether … skills through the spring of first grade compared with non-BPS PreK attenders. Mis-alignment predicted faster …This study uses implementation fidelity data from PreK to 1st grade in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to measure instructional alignment and examine whether stronger alignment is associated with sustained benefits of BPS PreK on children’s language, literacy, and math skills through first grade. The study includes N = 498 students (mean age = 5.47, SD = 0.30 in K fall). Children who experienced… more →
Troublemakers? The Role of Frequent Teacher Referrers in Expanding Racial Disciplinary Disproportionalities
… perceptions of student culpability, but the degree to which teachers’ initial identification of student … they make in a given year and evaluate their contributions to disciplinary disparities. We find that “top referrers” … Both the level and racial compositions of the school sites where “top referrers” serve and their personal traits …Teachers’ sense-making of student behavior determines whether students get in trouble and are formally disciplined. Status categories, such as race, can influence perceptions of student culpability, but the degree to which teachers’ initial identification of student misbehavior exacerbates racial disproportionality in discipline receipt is unknown.This study provides the first systematic… more →
Discipline Reform, School Culture, and Student Achievement
… school discipline improve student achievement, or lead to classroom disorder? We study a 2012 reform in New York … City public middle schools that eliminated suspensions for non-violent, disorderly behavior, replacing them with less … timing of the reform and natural variation in its impact to measure the effect of reducing suspensions on student …Does relaxing strict school discipline improve student achievement, or lead to classroom disorder? We study a 2012 reform in New York City public middle schools that eliminated suspensions for non-violent, disorderly behavior, replacing them with less disruptive interventions. Using a difference-in-differences framework, we exploit the sharp timing of the reform and natural variation in its… more →
The Dynamic Market for Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs
… human capital in two or three years and could be key to upskilling and reskilling the workforce, provided their supply responds fast and nimbly to local labor market needs. We study determinants of SCP … than bachelor’s programs; among SCP providers, private and non-university institutions are the most responsive. While …Short-cycle higher education programs (SCPs) form skilled human capital in two or three years and could be key to upskilling and reskilling the workforce, provided their supply responds fast and nimbly to local labor market needs. We study determinants of SCP entry and exit in Colombia for markets defined by geographic location and field of study. We show greater dynamism in the market for SCPs… more →
Integrated Student Support and Student Achievement: A Replication Study
… 2016). Because schools alone have limited capacity to address the systemic nature of economic inequalities that … in elementary school (Walsh et al., 2014). Given the need to understand the replicability of interventions beyond initial sites of implementation, we assessed the degree to which the …Growing up in poverty presents numerous nonacademic barriers that impede academic progress for economically disadvantaged students (Duncan and Murnane, 2016). Because schools alone have limited capacity to address the systemic nature of economic inequalities that directly affects student outcomes, policymakers and researchers in recent years have increased calls for the use of comprehensive,… more →
Teacher Retention in Early College High Schools and Texas STEM Academies: Understanding the Positive Impacts of College and Career Readiness School Models
… A stable learning environment is critical to high school reforms aimed at promoting postsecondary … (a) CCRSM schools have lower teacher turnover compared to traditional public high schools, (b) charter versions of CCRSM schools have higher turnover, but (c) non-CCRSM charters have the highest overall teacher turnover. …A stable learning environment is critical to high school reforms aimed at promoting postsecondary educational success. High teacher attrition can disrupt stable learning environments by uprooting student-teacher relationships and harming school climate. Educational leaders need greater understanding of how college readiness reforms alter learning environments generally, and teacher retention in… more →
Holding Back to Move Forward: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade on Student Outcomes
… incidents, again into middle school. Our findings combine to show that Indiana’s third grade retention policy improves … retained students without adverse impacts along (measured) non-academic dimensions. … grade retention, student … accountability, assessment, and curriculum … Holding Back to Move Forward: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade …We 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 effects persist into middle school. We find no evidence of grade retention effects on student attendance… more →
At What Cost?: Is Technical Education Worth the Investment?
… and only in recent years have there been opportunities to assess the causal impact of participating in these programs while in high school. To date, no work has assessed whether the relative costs of … programs in Connecticut offer smaller, though mostly non-negative expected returns. We also consider the potential …Career and technical education (CTE) has existed in the United States for over a century, and only in recent years have there been opportunities to assess the causal impact of participating in these programs while in high school. To date, no work has assessed whether the relative costs of these programs meet or exceed the benefits as described in recent evaluations. In this paper, we use… more →
Not the Great Equalizer? Local Economic Mobility and Inequality Effects for the Establishment of U.S. Universities
… We exploit historical natural experiments to test whether universities increase economic mobility and … We use "runner-up’" counties that were strongly considered to become university sites but were not selected for as-good-as-random reasons as …We exploit historical natural experiments to test whether universities increase economic mobility and equality. We use "runner-up’" counties that were strongly considered to become university sites but were not selected for as-good-as-random reasons as counterfactuals for university counties. University establishment causes greater intergenerational income mobility but also increases cross-… more →
Beyond Teachers: Estimating Individual Guidance Counselors’ Effects on Educational Attainment
… effects on educational attainment are similar in magnitude to teacher effects, but they flow through improved information and assistance more than cognitive or non-cognitive skill development. Counselor effectiveness is … low-income and low-achieving students, so improving access to effective counseling may be a promising way to increase …Counselors are a common school resource for students navigating complicated and con- sequential education choices. I estimate counselors’ causal effects using quasi-random assignment policies in Massachusetts. Counselors vary substantially in their effectiveness at increasing high school graduation and college attendance, selectivity, and persistence. Counselor effects on educational attainment… more →
Who Benefits From Attending Effective Schools?
… more versus less educationally advantaged (i.e., likely to attain more years of education based on 8th-grade … school-based arrests. This heterogeneity is not solely due to less-advantaged groups being marginal for particular … students being relatively more responsive to non-test-score dimensions of school quality. … school …We estimate the longer-run effects of attending an effective high school (one that improves a combination of test scores, survey measures of socio-emotional development, and behaviors in 9th grade) for students who are more versus less educationally advantaged (i.e., likely to attain more years of education based on 8th-grade characteristics). All students benefit from attending effective schools… more →
Replicating and Extending Effects of “Achievement Gap” Discourse
… Previously, we found teachers gave lower priority to racial equity when disparities were framed as “achievement … (2) the negative effect of AG language replicates with non-teachers, and (3) AG language causes respondents to express more negative racial stereotypes. … achievement …Scholars argue the “racial achievement gap” frame perpetuates deficit mindsets. Previously, we found teachers gave lower priority to racial equity when disparities were framed as “achievement gaps” versus “inequality in educational outcomes.” In this brief, we analyze data from two survey experiments using a teacher sample and an MTurk sample. We find: (1) the effect of “achievement gap” (AG)… more →
Keep Me In, Coach: The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Targeted Academic Coaching
… To boost college graduation rates, policymakers often … interventions are effective, but are costly and difficult to scale. We evaluate a relatively lower-cost group coaching … then hold a one-time follow-up meeting with their coach or visit a campus resource. Using a difference-in-discontinuity …To boost college graduation rates, policymakers often advocate for academic supports such as coaching or mentoring. Proactive and intensive coaching interventions are effective, but are costly and difficult to scale. We evaluate a relatively lower-cost group coaching program targeted at first-year college students placed on academic probation. Participants attend a workshop where coaches aim to… more →
How Much Do Early Teachers Matter?
… directly compare the contribution of early-grade teachers to later year outcomes against the contributions of later year teachers to the same later year outcomes. Where the prior literature … teacher is about half the underrepresented minority (URM)/non-URM achievement gap. Our results reinforce earlier …We present new estimates of the importance of teachers in early grades for later grade outcomes, but unlike the existing literature that examines teacher “fade-out,” we directly compare the contribution of early-grade teachers to later year outcomes against the contributions of later year teachers to the same later year outcomes. Where the prior literature finds that much of the contribution of… more →
The Impact of Summer Programs on Student Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analysis
… better mathematics achievement outcomes, compared to their control group counterparts. We find an average … analysis exploring the effect of summer programs on non-cognitive outcomes and found positive mean impacts. The … results indicate that summer programs are a promising tool to strengthen children’s mathematical proficiency outside of …We present results from a meta-analysis of 37 contemporary experimental and quasi-experimental studies of summer programs in mathematics for children in Grades pre-K-12, examining what resources and characteristics predict stronger student achievement. Children who participated in summer programs that included mathematics activities experienced significantly better mathematics achievement… more →
Racial Category Usage in Education Research: Examining the Publications from AERA Journals
… included all original empirical studies published in the non-review AERA journals from 2009 to 2019. We found two-thirds of articles used at least one racial category term, with an increase from about half to almost three-quarters of published studies between 2009 …How scholars name different racial groups has powerful salience for understanding what researchers study. We explored how education researchers used racial terminology in recently published, high-profile, peer-reviewed studies. Our sample included all original empirical studies published in the non-review AERA journals from 2009 to 2019. We found two-thirds of articles used at least one racial… more →
Unequal & Increasingly Unfair: How Federal Policy Creates Disparities in Special Education Funding
… The formula used to allocate federal funding for state and local special … among states, it also represents policymakers’ intent to equalize educational opportunities for students with … in poverty, children identified for special education, and non-White and Black children receive fewer federal dollars, …The formula used to allocate federal funding for state and local special education programs is one of the Individual with Disabilities Act’s most critical components. The formula not only serves as the primary mechanism for dividing available federal dollars among states, it also represents policymakers’ intent to equalize educational opportunities for students with disabilities nationwide. In… more →
Indigenous Students and English Learner Identification: A Fifty-State Policy Review
… EL eligibility differently for Indigenous, compared to non-Indigenous, students with implications for who is identified as an EL and how best to serve their academic and linguistic interests. This study …English learner (EL) education is widely conceived as services for immigrant-origin students, however nearly one in ten American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students are classified in school as ELs. Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) defines EL eligibility differently for Indigenous, compared to non-Indigenous, students with implications for who is identified as an… more →
The Long-Run Impacts of Mexican-American School Desegregation
… on long-run educational attainment for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in California. Our identification … and across birth cohorts that vary in their exposure to the Mendez court ruling based on school start age. Results point to a significant increase in educational attainment for …We present the first quantitative analysis of the impact of ending de jure segregation of Mexican-American school children in the United States by examining the effects of the 1947 Mendez v. Westminster court decision on long-run educational attainment for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in California. Our identification strategy relies on comparing individuals across California counties that… more →
A Bridge to Graduation: Post-Secondary Effects of an Alternative Pathway for Students Who Fail High School Exit Exams
… High school exit exams are meant to standardize the quality of public high schools and to ensure that students graduate with a set of basic skills … students. To mitigate this, some states offer alternative, non-tested pathways to graduation for students who have …High school exit exams are meant to standardize the quality of public high schools and to ensure that students graduate with a set of basic skills and knowledge. Evidence suggests that a common perverse effect of exit exams is an increase in dropout for students who have difficulty passing tests, with a larger effect on minority students. To mitigate this, some states offer alternative, non-… more →
Is a Name Change a Game Change? The Impact of College-to-University Conversions
… education market, institutions differentiate themselves to attract both students and tuition dollars. One … at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, which leads to an increase in degree production and total revenues. I … a university and can lead to negative spillover effects on non-converting colleges. … higher education, college choice, …In the competitive U.S. higher education market, institutions differentiate themselves to attract both students and tuition dollars. One understudied example of this differentiation is the increasing trend of "colleges" becoming "universities" by changing their names. Leveraging variation in the timing of such conversions in an event study framework, I show that becoming a university increases… more →
From Referrals to Suspensions: New Evidence on Racial Disparities in Exclusionary Discipline
… disciplinary referrals, including those that do not lead to suspensions, to better understand the origins of racial disparities in … that compares the disciplinary outcomes of white and non-white students who were involved in the same …We use novel data on disciplinary referrals, including those that do not lead to suspensions, to better understand the origins of racial disparities in exclusionary discipline. We find significant differences between Black and white students in both referral rates and the rate at which referrals convert to suspensions. An infraction fixed-effects research design that compares the disciplinary… more →
Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching in the Earliest Grades: Benefits for Executive Function Skills
… on student outcomes—ranging from academic achievement to postsecondary attainment—are well documented. Yet, we know … in the earliest grades school and on less about effects on non-academic outcomes. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of student-teacher ethnoracial …The benefits of student-teacher ethnoracial matching on student outcomes—ranging from academic achievement to postsecondary attainment—are well documented. Yet, we know far less about the role of student-teacher ethnoracial matching in the earliest grades school and on less about effects on non-academic outcomes. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of student-teacher… more →
Can Schools Change Religious Attitudes? Evidence from German State Reforms of Compulsory Religious Education
… membership. Beyond religious attitudes, the reform led to more equalized gender roles, fewer marriages and children, … The reform did not affect ethical and political values or non-religious school outcomes. … religious education, …We study whether compulsory religious education in schools affects students' religiosity as adults. We exploit the staggered termination of compulsory religious education across German states in models with state and cohort fixed effects. Using three different datasets, we find that abolishing compulsory religious education significantly reduced religiosity of affected students in adulthood. It… more →
Do Refugee Students Affect the Academic Achievement of Peers? Evidence from a Large Urban School District
… on local communities, with sparse credible evidence to ascertain its impact. This paper examines whether … school with refugees affects the academic outcomes of non-refugee students. Leveraging variation in the share of …Policy debate on refugee resettlement focuses on perceived adverse effects on local communities, with sparse credible evidence to ascertain its impact. This paper examines whether attending school with refugees affects the academic outcomes of non-refugee students. Leveraging variation in the share of refugees within schools and across grades, I find that increasing the share of grade-level… more →
The Lingering Legacy of Redlining on School Funding, Diversity, and Performance
… Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) assigned A (minimal risk) to D (hazardous) grades to neighborhoods that reflected their lending risk from … per-pupil total revenues, larger shares of Black and non-White student bodies, less diverse student populations, …Between 1935-1940 the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) assigned A (minimal risk) to D (hazardous) grades to neighborhoods that reflected their lending risk from previously issued loans and visualized these grades on color-coded maps, which arguably influenced banks and other mortgage lenders to provide or deny home loans within residential neighborhoods. In this study, we leverage a spatial… more →