EdWorkingPapers
The Power of Personalized Attention: Comparing Pedagogical Approaches in Small Group and One-on-One Early Literacy Tutoring
… learning recovery, supporting student learning and engagement. A recent randomized controlled trial … more attention and personalized support. To improve the effectiveness of two-on-one tutoring, it may be beneficial to equip tutors …Tutoring has played a significant role in pandemic-related learning recovery, supporting student learning and engagement. A recent randomized controlled trial estimated that one-on-one virtual early literacy tutoring was nearly twice as effective as two-on-one tutoring for improving student learning (Robinson et al., 2024). To better understand this gap, we analyze transcripts from 16,629… more →
Out-of-School Learning: Subtitling vs. Dubbing and the Acquisition of Foreign-Language Skills
… The development of English-language skills, a near necessity in today’s global economy, … English to math skills in European countries that do and do not use subtitles. We find a large positive effect of …The development of English-language skills, a near necessity in today’s global economy, is heavily influenced by historical national decisions about whether to subtitle or dub TV content. While prior studies of language acquisition have focused on schools, we show the overwhelming influence of out-of-school learning. We identify the causal effect of subtitling in a difference-in-differences… more →
Revisiting The Rural Teacher Workforce: Insights from a Novel Rurality Measure
… fundamentally shapes our place-based understanding of the teacher workforce. This study uses the Community Assets and Relative Rurality (CARR) Index—a novel, multidimensional …How we define rurality fundamentally shapes our place-based understanding of the teacher workforce. This study uses the Community Assets and Relative Rurality (CARR) Index—a novel, multidimensional measure of rurality—alongside longitudinal administrative data to examine K–12 teachers in Kansas and Missouri. We find substantial variation in teacher demographic and professional characteristics… more →
Cosmetology Gets a Trim: The Impact of Reducing Licensing Hours on Colleges and Students
… In the United States, licenses are required for entry into many different occupations. Requirements vary by state and occupation, but many licenses require a minimum number of training or instructional hours. We consider the impact of …In the United States, licenses are required for entry into many different occupations. Requirements vary by state and occupation, but many licenses require a minimum number of training or instructional hours. We consider the impact of these hours requirements on students and postsecondary institutions, with a particular focus on cosmetology (also known as hairstyling or beauty). Cosmetology… more →
Combining Early Grade Assessments to Study Literacy Skills: Addressing the Variability in Tests Taken across Schools and Students
… There is considerable variability in the literacy assessments taken in Kindergarten through second grade, across schools and between multilingual learners and other students, and … it difficult to study changes in students’ acquisition of ELA skills in these formative years, or to evaluate …There is considerable variability in the literacy assessments taken in Kindergarten through second grade, across schools and between multilingual learners and other students, and within students over time. This makes it difficult to study changes in students’ acquisition of ELA skills in these formative years, or to evaluate policies and practices meant to support literacy development. Here we… more →
Project Lead the Way: Impacts of a High School Applied STEM Program on Early Post-Secondary Outcomes
… Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is an applied STEM program first introduced … nearly three decades ago to enhance the STEM content of Career Technical Education (CTE). Currently, more than … offer (ITT), participation impacts on participants (TOT), and the impact of program offer on non-participants on …Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is an applied STEM program first introduced nearly three decades ago to enhance the STEM content of Career Technical Education (CTE). Currently, more than 12,000 US high schools offer the program. Using data from three cohorts of public high school freshmen in Missouri, we investigate the impact of PLTW program offer (ITT), participation impacts on participants (TOT),… more →
CTE-Focused Dual Enrollment: Participation and Outcomes
… Recent policy efforts have attempted to increase the number of dual enrollment courses offered within Career and Technical Education pathways and there is evidence to …Recent policy efforts have attempted to increase the number of dual enrollment courses offered within Career and Technical Education pathways and there is evidence to suggest that this practice is widespread. However, there is very little research on student participation in CTE dual enrollment and on its impacts. This study examines participation in the CTE dual enrollment pathway in North… more →
Modeling Item-Level Heterogeneous Treatment Effects with the Explanatory Item Response Model: Leveraging Online Formative Assessments to Pinpoint the Impact of Educational Interventions
… treatment effects vary allow researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to better understand the efficacy of educational interventions. In practice, however, standard …Analyses that reveal how treatment effects vary allow researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to better understand the efficacy of educational interventions. In practice, however, standard statistical methods for addressing Heterogeneous Treatment Effects (HTE) fail to address the HTE that may exist within outcome measures. In this study, we present a novel application of the Explanatory… more →
Can Adolescents Acquire Cultural Capital Through Social Capital Access and Exposure? Longitudinal Experimental Evidence of the Impact of Ties to College-Educated Adults
… however, focuses only on cross-sectional associations and is unclear about how disadvantaged adolescents can increase their amounts of cultural capital. Traditionally, most adolescents’ … they may be at a significant disadvantage when navigating the education system. We hypothesize that adolescents may be …Scholarly debate focuses on whether cultural capital reproduces existing inequalities or provides a path to upward mobility. Most research, however, focuses only on cross-sectional associations and is unclear about how disadvantaged adolescents can increase their amounts of cultural capital. Traditionally, most adolescents’ interactions with adults occur across two axes of socialization: families… more →
The Big Problem with Little Interruptions to Classroom Learning
… Narrative accounts of classroom instruction suggest that external interruptions, such as intercom announcements and visits from staff, are a regular occurrence in U.S. public schools. We study the frequency, nature, and duration of external interruptions …Narrative accounts of classroom instruction suggest that external interruptions, such as intercom announcements and visits from staff, are a regular occurrence in U.S. public schools. We study the frequency, nature, and duration of external interruptions in the Providence Public School District (PPSD) using original data from a district-wide survey and classroom observations. We estimate that a… more →
Diversity in Schools: Immigrants and the Educational Performance of U.S. Born Students
… We study the effect of exposure to immigrants on the educational outcomes of US-born students, using a unique dataset combining population-level birth and school records from Florida. This research question is …We study the effect of exposure to immigrants on the educational outcomes of US-born students, using a unique dataset combining population-level birth and school records from Florida. This research question is complicated by substantial school selection of US-born students, especially among White and comparatively affluent students, in response to the presence of immigrant students in the school… more →
Admissions Policies, Cohort Composition, and Academic Success: Evidence from California
… I study how postsecondary admission policies affect the composition and subsequent academic outcomes of new cohorts. I leverage the staggered replacement of …I study how postsecondary admission policies affect the composition and subsequent academic outcomes of new cohorts. I leverage the staggered replacement of lotteries and waitlists at California's community college nursing programs with admissions that rely on grades, work experience, and other measures. The change in admissions increased the average prior academic performance of incoming cohorts… more →
Examining the Relationship between Psychosocial and Academic Outcomes in Higher Education: A Descriptive Analysis
… This paper estimates the relationship between students’ psychosocial and academic outcomes during their first three years enrolled … at public, four-year institutions. Our sample is comprised of students from low-income backgrounds who applied for a …This paper estimates the relationship between students’ psychosocial and academic outcomes during their first three years enrolled at public, four-year institutions. Our sample is comprised of students from low-income backgrounds who applied for a competitive scholarship and enrolled at a four-year public institution. We follow two cohorts of entering students throughout their first three years… more →
Stress Test: Examining the Evolution of Teachers’ Mental Health Over Time
… is often assumed to be a relatively stressful occupation and occupational stress among teachers has been linked to poor mental health, attrition from the profession, and decreased effectiveness in the classroom. … trends in teachers’ mental health or the prevalence of mental health problems in teaching relative to other …Teaching is often assumed to be a relatively stressful occupation and occupational stress among teachers has been linked to poor mental health, attrition from the profession, and decreased effectiveness in the classroom. Despite widespread concern about teachers’ mental health, however, little empirical evidence exists on long-run trends in teachers’ mental health or the prevalence of mental… more →
Does achievement rise fastest with school choice, school resources, or family resources? Chile from 2002 to 2013
… in education policy draw on different theories about how to raise children’s achievement. The school competition theory holds that achievement rises … theory holds that achievement rises with school spending and resources that spending can buy. The family resources …Debates in education policy draw on different theories about how to raise children’s achievement. The school competition theory holds that achievement rises when families can choose among competing schools. The school resource theory holds that achievement rises with school spending and resources that spending can buy. The family resources theory holds that children’s achievement rises with… more →
Community College Pathways for Disadvantaged Students
… In this paper we estimate the impacts of the “pathways” chosen by community college students—in terms of desired credentials and fields of study, as well as other choices and outcomes …In this paper we estimate the impacts of the “pathways” chosen by community college students—in terms of desired credentials and fields of study, as well as other choices and outcomes along the paths—on the attainment of credentials with labor market value. We focus on the extent to which there are recorded changes in students’ choices over time, whether students make choices informed by their… more →
The Formalized Processes Districts Use to Evaluate Mathematics Textbooks
… intervention that can affect student achievement, and the marginal cost of choosing a more effective textbook is typically small. …Textbooks are a widely used educational intervention that can affect student achievement, and the marginal cost of choosing a more effective textbook is typically small. However, we know little about how textbooks get from the publisher to the classroom. We use a lens of institutional theory and interviews with district leaders in a stratified random sample of 34 California school districts to… more →
Why Who Marries Whom Matters: Effects of Educational Assortative Mating on Infant Health in the U.S. 1969-1994
… Educational assortative mating patterns in the U.S. have changed since the 1960s, but we know little about the effects of these patterns on children, particularly on infant … may alter prenatal contexts through parental stress and resources, with implications for inequality. Using …Educational assortative mating patterns in the U.S. have changed since the 1960s, but we know little about the effects of these patterns on children, particularly on infant health. Rising educational homogamy may alter prenatal contexts through parental stress and resources, with implications for inequality. Using 1969-1994 NVSS birth data and aggregate cohort-state census measures of… more →
"Send Them Home?" Rethinking What Public Education Owes to Flourishing Children
… requires for children who are already thriving in school and argues that the dominant frameworks in educational philosophy do not answer the question. Priority, equality of opportunity, adequacy, and capabilities treat public …This essay asks what justice requires for children who are already thriving in school and argues that the dominant frameworks in educational philosophy do not answer the question. Priority, equality of opportunity, adequacy, and capabilities treat public education chiefly as redistribution to the disadvantaged and therefore offer no affirmative reason to continue educating students once… more →
Leading Indicators of Long-Term Success in Community Schools: Evidence from New York City
… Community schools offer supports such as health and social services, extended school days, and family education, to improve the performance of students whose learning may be disrupted by challenges …Community schools offer supports such as health and social services, extended school days, and family education, to improve the performance of students whose learning may be disrupted by challenges related to poverty. In 2015, the New York City Community Schools Initiative was implemented in conjunction with the NYC Renewal Schools program to turnaround the city’s lowest performing schools. Using… more →
Effects of Early College on Educational Attainment for All in Massachusetts
… Evaluations of Early College, a type of intervention that enables simultaneous enrollment in secondary and post-secondary courses in the United States, consistently find positive effects on …Evaluations of Early College, a type of intervention that enables simultaneous enrollment in secondary and post-secondary courses in the United States, consistently find positive effects on educational attainment across racial and socioeconomic groups. Unlike Early College initiatives in other states, Massachusetts launched Early College in Fall 2018, enabling a within-school as well as a whole-… more →
Early literacy tutoring and children’s reading trajectories: Evidence from a four-year randomized controlled trial
… support as students’ reading needs evolve across the early grades. We present findings from a four-year … Southeast to Chapter One or business-as-usual instruction and followed them through 3rd grade. Students assigned to … education program (IEP) or be retained by the end of the study. The reduction in IEP status was concentrated …Most evidence on early literacy tutoring comes from intensive one-year interventions. Much less is known about whether schools can sustain individualized instructional support as students’ reading needs evolve across the early grades. We present findings from a four-year randomized controlled trial evaluating Chapter One, an adaptive instructional support system designed to translate the… more →
Heterogeneous Effects of Closing the Digital Divide During COVID-19 on Student Engagement and Achievement
… a double-edged sword, conferring both educational benefits and distractions for children. Clarifying the academic effects of technology-oriented investments is particularly important …Equitably expanding technology access among K-12 students has long been viewed as critical for equalizing educational opportunities. But these interventions may influence students’ academic outcomes in unexpected ways. Prior research suggests key technological resources, like broadband Internet, are a double-edged sword, conferring both educational benefits and distractions for children.… more →
How Does the Elimination of State Aid to For-Profit Colleges Affect Enrollment? Evidence from California's Reforms
… institutional performance impacts student choice. Federal and state regulations often reflect concerns about the private, for-profit sector's poor employment outcomes and … to changes in subsidies. We find that restricting the use of the Cal Grant at for-profit institutions resulted in …This paper examines how financial aid reform based on postsecondary institutional performance impacts student choice. Federal and state regulations often reflect concerns about the private, for-profit sector's poor employment outcomes and high loan defaults, despite the sector's possible theoretical advantages. We use student level data to examine how eliminating public subsidies to attend low-… more →
The Effect of Retention Threat on Student Learning Gains: Evidence from Ohio
… incentives for students to make adequate progress ahead of evaluation. The threat of retention thus has the potential to affect all … Gains in Grade 3 English Language Arts (ELA) are 0.077 SD and although effects partially fade over time, positive …Grade retention policies create incentives for students to make adequate progress ahead of evaluation. The threat of retention thus has the potential to affect all students’ academic outcomes, increasing achievement especially among students with test scores near the retention policy’s threshold. By using unique data from Ohio which allows us to implement a regression discontinuity design, we… more →
Creating Short Forms of Early Childhood Development Measures: A Framework for Quantifying Statistical, Conceptual, and Practical Tradeoffs in Direct Assessment
… Direct assessments of early childhood development (ECD) are a cornerstone of research in developmental psychology and are increasingly used to evaluate programs and policies … lower cost and complexity. However, selecting the best items for inclusion on shorter forms is not a …Direct assessments of early childhood development (ECD) are a cornerstone of research in developmental psychology and are increasingly used to evaluate programs and policies in lower- and middle-income countries. Despite strong psychometric properties, these assessments are too expensive and time consuming for use in large-scale monitoring or national-level surveys. Short forms of direct… more →
GED® College Readiness Benchmarks and Post-Secondary Success
… In 2016, the GED® introduced college readiness benchmarks designed to … identified as college-ready by these benchmarks enroll and persist in college at significantly higher rates than … little exam retaking by those who fall narrowly short of the minimum college readiness score thresholds. This …In 2016, the GED® introduced college readiness benchmarks designed to identify testers who are academically prepared for credit-bearing college coursework. The benchmarks are promoted as awarding college credits or exempting “college-ready” GED® graduates from remedial coursework. I show descriptive evidence that those identified as college-ready by these benchmarks enroll and persist in college… more →
Values, Visions, and Variation in American School Districts: A Computational Mixed Methods Analysis of School District Strategic Plans
… The decentralization of power is a defining feature of the American education system, allowing schools to reflect community values and needs. Yet, little is known about how values and visions …The decentralization of power is a defining feature of the American education system, allowing schools to reflect community values and needs. Yet, little is known about how values and visions for education hold constant or vary across districts. Through an analysis of 617 district strategic plans, combining qualitative coding and computational topic modeling, we provide insight into how local… more →
The Effects of K-12 Computer Science Education Policies on Postsecondary CS Participation
… adopted policies to promote computer science education at the elementary and secondary levels. These policies are intended, in part, to promote the pursuit of computer science at the postsecondary level. We collect …States have increasingly adopted policies to promote computer science education at the elementary and secondary levels. These policies are intended, in part, to promote the pursuit of computer science at the postsecondary level. We collect novel longitudinal data on adoption and implementation dates of nine policies promoted by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition in the United States since 2000 and… more →
The “Work” of Mobilizing, Advocating, and Organizing for Care in The School District Central Office
… This paper presents a case study of a caring school district located in a farmworker community … suggest that district-level care was multidimensional and distributed, involving mobilization of community … expansion, and disruptive work. This study contributes to the empirical research base on organizational care and …This paper presents a case study of a caring school district located in a farmworker community composed largely of Latinx families. I examine how central office leaders create or maintain care supports under crisis conditions. Findings suggest that district-level care was multidimensional and distributed, involving mobilization of community leadership, improvisational structures, and novel… more →
The Valence of Teacher Performance Feedback and Its Consequences: Examining a Critical Mechanism of Reformed Teacher Evaluation Systems
… Districts nationwide have increased the frequency of teacher evaluations. Yet, we know little about the role of … classroom observation-level data, we use evaluator ratings and teacher self-assessments of teacher performance to …Districts nationwide have increased the frequency of teacher evaluations. Yet, we know little about the role of evaluator feedback for teacher improvement. Using unique classroom observation-level data, we use evaluator ratings and teacher self-assessments of teacher performance to rigorously examine (positive and negative) feedback valence from the teacher’s perspective and its consequences.… more →
The Impact of Additional Funding on Student Outcomes: Evidence from an Urban District Using Weighted Student Funding and Site-based Budgeting
… uses a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design to assess the impact of additional funding on student outcomes in a large, urban … using a weighted student funding (WSF) formula and provides flexibility to principals to allocate those …This study uses a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design to assess the impact of additional funding on student outcomes in a large, urban school district in the Southeastern United States. The district implemented student-based budgeting (SBB), which allocates dollars to schools based on student characteristics using a weighted student funding (WSF) formula and provides flexibility to… more →
Peer Effects in Vocational Education and Training
… Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs are prevalent in a European … but often struggle with drop-out rates that exceed those of general upper-secondary education. Using Danish administrative data, we study the effects of reform-induced reductions in shares of VET …Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs are prevalent in a European context, but often struggle with drop-out rates that exceed those of general upper-secondary education. Using Danish administrative data, we study the effects of reform-induced reductions in shares of VET students who did not pass their lower secondary final exams on passing GPA VET students. We find that passing… more →
Exploring Multidimensional Approaches to Learning During Early Childhood in Ghana
… (AtL) are widely recognized as a critical predictor of educational outcomes, especially in early childhood. … there remains a dearth of understanding regarding the dimensionality of AtL, the reciprocal dynamics between AtL and learning outcomes, and how AtL operates in non-Western …Children's approaches to learning (AtL) are widely recognized as a critical predictor of educational outcomes, especially in early childhood. Nevertheless, there remains a dearth of understanding regarding the dimensionality of AtL, the reciprocal dynamics between AtL and learning outcomes, and how AtL operates in non-Western contexts. This paper aims to extend the existing AtL literature by both… more →
Incidence and Outcomes of School Finance Litigation: 1968-2021
… one or more times in all but two states. Plaintiffs ask the courts to rule that the existing funding formula is unconstitutional under state constitutions, and the defendants call for continuation of the existing finance formula. By compiling and analyzing …School finance court cases have proceeded one or more times in all but two states. Plaintiffs ask the courts to rule that the existing funding formula is unconstitutional under state constitutions, and the defendants call for continuation of the existing finance formula. By compiling and analyzing the universe of such cases, we can accurately describe the nature of the cases, the decisions made,… more →
Measuring returns to experience using supervisor ratings of observed performance: The case of classroom teachers
… We study the returns to experience in teaching, estimated using … in observation ratings over time as the causal effect of experience on performance. We compare two … two-way fixed effects estimator common in the literature, and an alternative which avoids potential bias arising from …We study the returns to experience in teaching, estimated using supervisor ratings from classroom observations. We describe the assumptions required to interpret changes in observation ratings over time as the causal effect of experience on performance. We compare two difference-in-differences strategies: the two-way fixed effects estimator common in the literature, and an alternative which… more →
U.S. School Finance: Resources and Outcomes
… The impact of school resources on student outcomes was first raised in the 1960s and has been controversial since then. This issue enters into … A thorough review of existing studies, however, leads to similar conclusions as the historical work: how resources …The impact of school resources on student outcomes was first raised in the 1960s and has been controversial since then. This issue enters into the decision making on school finance in both legislatures and the courts. The historical research found little consistent or systematic relationship of spending and achievement, but this research frequently suffers from significant concerns about the… more →
Excellence for all? University honors programs and human capital formation
… Can public university honors programs deliver the benefits of selective undergraduate education within otherwise … kink design … Todd Pugatch … Paul Thompson … Pathways to and Through Postsecondary … Post-secondary education … Human …Can public university honors programs deliver the benefits of selective undergraduate education within otherwise nonselective institutions? We evaluate the impact of admission to the Honors College at Oregon State University, a large nonselective public university. Admission to the Honors College depends heavily on a numerical application score. Nonlinearities in admissions probabilities as a… more →
How Did It Get This Way? Disentangling the Sources of Teacher Quality Gaps Through Agent-Based Modeling
… longitudinal data from Washington state to study the extent to which three interrelated processes—teacher … workforce, teacher mobility between teaching positions, and teacher hiring for open positions—contribute to “teacher quality gaps” (TQGs) between students of color and other students in K–12 public schools. …We use publicly available, longitudinal data from Washington state to study the extent to which three interrelated processes—teacher attrition from the state teaching workforce, teacher mobility between teaching positions, and teacher hiring for open positions—contribute to “teacher quality gaps” (TQGs) between students of color and other students in K–12 public schools. Specifically, we develop… more →
The Effects of Growth Mindset on College Persistence and Completion
… We study the long-term effects of a psychological intervention on longitudinal academic outcomes and degree completion of college students. All freshmen at a …We study the long-term effects of a psychological intervention on longitudinal academic outcomes and degree completion of college students. All freshmen at a large public university were randomized to an online growth mindset, belonging, or control group. We tracked students’ academic outcomes including GPA, number of credits attempted and earned, major choices, and degree completion. We found no… more →
College Entrance Exam-Taking Strategies in Georgia
… Using administrative data from Georgia, we provide the first study of the full set of college entrance exam-taking strategies, including who takes the ACT and the SAT (or both), when they take the exams, and how many …Using administrative data from Georgia, we provide the first study of the full set of college entrance exam-taking strategies, including who takes the ACT and the SAT (or both), when they take the exams, and how many times they take each exam. We have several main findings. First, one-third of exam takers take both the ACT and SAT. Second, we see pronounced disparities in several measures of exam… more →
The Returns to Public Library Investment
… governments spend over 12 billion dollars annually funding the operation of 15,000 public libraries in the United States. This funding … quantifies the effects of public libraries on communities and children. We use data on the near-universe of U.S. public …Local governments spend over 12 billion dollars annually funding the operation of 15,000 public libraries in the United States. This funding supports widespread library use: more than 50% of Americans visit public libraries each year. But despite extensive public investment in libraries, surprisingly little research quantifies the effects of public libraries on communities and children. We use… more →
Capacity and flexibility in community college CTE programs: program offerings and student success
… asks whether small changes to community college courses and programs can help improve student outcomes. We use administrative data from the California Community College system, including millions of student records and detailed course-level information for …This article asks whether small changes to community college courses and programs can help improve student outcomes. We use administrative data from the California Community College system, including millions of student records and detailed course-level information for most career-technical education programs in the state. We construct a summary measure of each program’s flexibility,… more →
The Effects of Financial Aid Loss on Persistence and Graduation: A Multi-Dimensional Regression Discontinuity Approach
… budgetary shortfalls reduced its generosity in 2011. Under the new rules, only students meeting more rigorous … Zell Miller, with other students seeing aid reductions of approximately 15 percent. We exploit the fact that two of the criteria were high school GPA and SAT/ACT score, which students could not manipulate when …For years Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program provided full tuition scholarships to high achieving students. State budgetary shortfalls reduced its generosity in 2011. Under the new rules, only students meeting more rigorous merit-based criteria would retain the original scholarship covering full tuition, now called Zell Miller, with other students seeing aid reductions of approximately 15 percent… more →
Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence
… This report synthesizes the research evidence about the impact of community schools on student and school outcomes. Its aim is to support and inform school, …This report synthesizes the research evidence about the impact of community schools on student and school outcomes. Its aim is to support and inform school, community, district, and state leaders as they consider, propose, or implement community schools as a strategy for providing equitable, high-quality education to all young people. We conclude that well-implemented community schools lead to… more →
How much can we remedy very low learning levels in rural parts of low-income countries? Impact and generalizability of a multi-pronged para-teacher intervention from a cluster-randomized trial in The Gambia
… Despite large schooling and learning gains in many developing countries, children in … even basic literacy and numeracy. We study how much of this problem can be resolved using a multi-pronged … in isolation. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in The Gambia evaluating a literacy and numeracy intervention …Despite large schooling and learning gains in many developing countries, children in highly deprived areas are often unlikely to achieve even basic literacy and numeracy. We study how much of this problem can be resolved using a multi-pronged intervention combining several distinct interventions known to be effective in isolation. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in The Gambia evaluating a… more →
Pushing College Advising Forward: Experimental Evidence on Intensive Advising and College Success
… While Hispanic students represent the fasting-growing segment of the American school-age population, substantial gaps exist in college enrollment and Bachelor’s attainment between Hispanic and White and …While Hispanic students represent the fasting-growing segment of the American school-age population, substantial gaps exist in college enrollment and Bachelor’s attainment between Hispanic and White and Asian students. Numerous factors contribute to these disparities and disproportionally affect Hispanic youth. In this paper, we contribute evidence on the impact of an intensive college advising… more →
Too little or too much? Actionable Advice in an Early-Childhood Text Messaging Experiment
… have proven successful in improving parental engagement and preschoolers’ literacy development. The tested programs have provided a combination of (a) general information about important literacy skills, …Text-message based parenting programs have proven successful in improving parental engagement and preschoolers’ literacy development. The tested programs have provided a combination of (a) general information about important literacy skills, (b) actionable advice (i.e., specific examples of such activities), and (c) encouragement. The regularity of the texts – each week throughout the school year… more →
IDEA-Aligned Estimates of Racial Disproportionality in Special Education versus Conventional Approaches: A cautionary note on included-variable bias when achievement and socioeconomic status proxy for special education need
… model that regresses special education receipt on race and controls, notably prior achievement and socioeconomic … an IDEA-aligned estimand and show analytically that the canonical model recovers it only under strong … that the residual Black--White achievement gap net of SES reflects a gap in disability-related need rather than …Racial disproportionality in special education is a contested policy space. Federal oversight has traditionally focused on minority over-representation through IDEA’s significant disproportionality framework. However, observational studies report that Black students appear under-identified based on a canonical model that regresses special education receipt on race and controls, notably prior… more →
Post-pandemic achievement recovery based on student characteristics and district-level policies
… that student achievement has declined dramatically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less is known how these … vary by developmental timing of exposure to the pandemic and how district-level policies may have influenced student …It is well-established that student achievement has declined dramatically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less is known how these patterns may vary by developmental timing of exposure to the pandemic and how district-level policies may have influenced student recovery. This descriptive study examined patterns of achievement across middle childhood during and after the COVID-19… more →