EdWorkingPapers
Disparities and Discrimination in Student Discipline by Race and Family Income
… Black and poor students are suspended from U.S. schools at higher rates than white and non-poor students. While the existence of these disparities has been clear, the causes of the …Black and poor students are suspended from U.S. schools at higher rates than white and non-poor students. While the existence of these disparities has been clear, the causes of the disparities have not. We use a novel dataset to examine how and where discipline disparities arise. By comparing the punishments given to black and white (or poor and non-poor) students who fight one another,… more →
Are School Discipline Practices Pushing Students Out…to Another School? A Longitudinal Analysis of School Transfers in Five Midwest Counties
… Sociology of education scholars have positioned punitive discipline … another schools—potentially acting as a critical step in the process of pushing students out of the formal education system altogether. Using nine years student- and school-level data across five large counties in a …Sociology of education scholars have positioned punitive discipline practices as factors that work to “push” unwanted students to drop out of school before graduating. However, limited research examines how punitive discipline practices may push students to transfer to another schools—potentially acting as a critical step in the process of pushing students out of the formal education system… more →
The Kids on the Bus: The Academic Consequences of Diversity-Driven School Reassignments
… students from one school to another. While opponents of such efforts articulate concerns about the consequences of reassignments for students’ educational … on reassigned students’ achievement, attendance, and exposure to exclusionary discipline. Between 2000 and …Many public school diversity efforts rely on reassigning students from one school to another. While opponents of such efforts articulate concerns about the consequences of reassignments for students’ educational experiences, little evidence exists regarding these effects, particularly in contemporary policy contexts. Using an event study design, we leverage data from an innovative… more →
From School to School: Examining the Contours of Switching Schools within the Special Education Teacher Labor Market
… The United States is facing growing teacher shortages that … affecting schools serving high proportions of students of color, low-income students, and those in rural or urban areas. Special education teachers …The United States is facing growing teacher shortages that may disproportionately affecting schools serving high proportions of students of color, low-income students, and those in rural or urban areas. Special education teachers (SETs) are particularly in demand. Each year, nearly half of all vacancies are filled with teachers switching from one school to another, yet little research has… more →
Gauging Engagement: Measuring Student Response to a Large-Scale College Advising Field Experiment
… an increasingly common strategy to support college access and success for underrepresented student populations. Despite the proliferation of these programs, we know relatively little about how …Interactive, text message-based advising programs have become an increasingly common strategy to support college access and success for underrepresented student populations. Despite the proliferation of these programs, we know relatively little about how students engage in these text-based advising opportunities and whether that relates to stronger student outcomes – factors that could help… more →
Costly Withdrawals Reduce Future College-Going for Low-Income Students: Evidence from Return of Title IV Funds
… balance between promoting access to financial aid while at the same time remaining good stewards of taxpayer funds by preventing fraudulent access. This paper focuses on one of the largest-scale and most consequential policies determining whether students …Governments must strike a balance between promoting access to financial aid while at the same time remaining good stewards of taxpayer funds by preventing fraudulent access. This paper focuses on one of the largest-scale and most consequential policies determining whether students maintain access to Title IV aid, the “Return of Title IV” funds policy, referred to as R2T4. Students receiving… more →
Behind the Scenes: Faculty-Staff Collaboration in a Student Success Effort
… success often involve supports that are external to the college classroom, although there is growing evidence … This paper explores the challenges that arise when faculty and staff collaborate to improve student success as well as … the organizational changes that support the implementation of a low-touch, technology-based intervention. Drawing on …Interventions to improve postsecondary student success often involve supports that are external to the college classroom, although there is growing evidence that faculty involvement in interventions can improve student outcomes. This paper explores the challenges that arise when faculty and staff collaborate to improve student success as well as the organizational changes that support the… more →
Examining Racial Disparities in School Discipline Throughout the Pandemic
… This study explores trends and disparities in school discipline during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the persistence of racial gaps in exclusionary practices. Using student-level …This study explores trends and disparities in school discipline during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the persistence of racial gaps in exclusionary practices. Using student-level data from Arkansas from 2017/18 to 2022/23, we study how disciplinary outcomes relate to student race while controlling for factors such as the type and frequency of infractions, as well as the school level (… more →
Addressing Threats to Validity in Supervised Machine Learning: A Framework and Best Practices for Education Researchers
… Given the rapid adoption of machine learning methods by education researchers, and growing acknowledgement of their inherent risks, there is …Given the rapid adoption of machine learning methods by education researchers, and growing acknowledgement of their inherent risks, there is an urgent need for tailored methodological guidance on how to improve and evaluate the validity of inferences drawn from these methods. Drawing upon an integrative literature review and extending a well-known framework for theorizing validity in the… more →
Less is More: The Causal Effect of Four-Day School Weeks on Employee Turnover
… The use of four-day school weeks (4dsw) in the United States has … schools in some locales have adopted 4dsw to recruit and retain staff. This paper examines the effect of 4dsw … by leveraging a staggered roll-out of the schedule using a difference-in-differences design. We find that …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 →
A Quantitative Study of Mathematical Language in Upper Elementary Classrooms
… This study provides the first large-scale quantitative exploration of mathematical language use in upper elementary U.S. … processing techniques to describe variation in teachers’ and students’ use of mathematical language in 1,657 fourth …This study provides the first large-scale quantitative exploration of mathematical language use in upper elementary U.S. classrooms. Our approach employs natural language processing techniques to describe variation in teachers’ and students’ use of mathematical language in 1,657 fourth and fifth grade lessons in 317 classrooms in four districts over three years. Students’ exposure to… more →
Structured Reporting Guidelines for Classroom Intervention Research
… Inconsistent reporting of critical facets of classroom interventions and their related impact evaluations hinders the field’s ability to describe and synthesize the existing …Inconsistent reporting of critical facets of classroom interventions and their related impact evaluations hinders the field’s ability to describe and synthesize the existing evidence base. In this essay, we present a set of reporting guidelines intended to steer authors of classroom intervention studies toward providing more systematic reporting of key intervention features and setting-level… more →
Some Promises are Worth More than Others: How “Free Community College” Programs impact Postsecondary Participation, Destinations, and Degree Completion
… as addressing college access, affordability, inequality, and skills shortages. Many are last-dollar tuition guarantees … community colleges. Using student-level data spanning the transition to college, we investigate how two similar … … Finance … Inequality … Program and policy effects … Some Promises are Worth More than Others: How “Free Community …“Free college” programs are widespread in American higher education. They are discussed as addressing college access, affordability, inequality, and skills shortages. Many are last-dollar tuition guarantees restricted to use at single community colleges. Using student-level data spanning the transition to college, we investigate how two similar local community college tuition guarantees in… more →
How Measurement Affects Causal Inference: Attenuation Bias is (Usually) More Important Than Scoring Weights
… effects on test scores, researchers face many choices and competing guidance for scoring tests and modeling results. This study examines the impact of scoring choices through simulation and an empirical …When analyzing treatment effects on test scores, researchers face many choices and competing guidance for scoring tests and modeling results. This study examines the impact of scoring choices through simulation and an empirical application. Results show that estimates from multiple methods applied to the same data will vary because two-step models using sum or factor scores provide attenuated… more →
The Role and Influence of Exclusively Online Degree Programs in Higher Education
… This study leverages national data and a quasi-experimental design to examine the influence of enrolling in an exclusively online degree program on …This study leverages national data and a quasi-experimental design to examine the influence of enrolling in an exclusively online degree program on students’ likelihood of completing their degree. We find that enrolling in an exclusively online degree program had a negative influence on students’ likelihood of completing their bachelor’s degree or any degree when compared to their otherwise-… more →
Teacher Shortages: A Framework for Understanding and Predicting Vacancies
… develop a unifying conceptual framework for understanding and predicting teacher shortages at the state, region, district, and school levels. We then … unfilled teaching positions in Tennessee during the fall of 2019. We find that teacher staffing challenges are highly …We develop a unifying conceptual framework for understanding and predicting teacher shortages at the state, region, district, and school levels. We then generate and test hypotheses about geographic and subject variation in teacher shortages using data on unfilled teaching positions in Tennessee during the fall of 2019. We find that teacher staffing challenges are highly localized, causing… more →
Estimating the Impact of Temporary COVID-19 College Closures on the 2020 Census Count
… Temporary college closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic created an exodus of students from college towns just as the decennial census … government funding allocations, policy program decisions, and planning for infrastructure, public health, and more. The …Temporary college closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic created an exodus of students from college towns just as the decennial census count was getting underway. We use aggregate cellular mobility data to evaluate if this population movement affected the distributional accuracy of the 2020 Census. Based on the outflow of devices in late March 2020, we estimate that counties with a… more →
The Limited Impact of Free College Policies
… Despite the growing popularity of free college proposals, countries with higher college … but not higher graduation rates. To capture this evidence and evaluate potential free college policies, we rely on a …Despite the growing popularity of free college proposals, countries with higher college subsidies tend to have higher enrollment rates but not higher graduation rates. To capture this evidence and evaluate potential free college policies, we rely on a dynamic model of college enrollment, performance, and graduation estimated using rich student-level data from Colombia. In the model, student… more →
They Only Hate the Term: Explaining Opposition to History Curriculum Policy and Critical Race Theory
… The George Floyd Protests of the Summer of 2020 initiated public conversations around … How does critical race theory factor in? Using a series of original survey experiments, this study … curriculum … Jonathan E. Collins … Policy, Politics, and Governance … K-12 Education … Race, ethnicity, and …The George Floyd Protests of the Summer of 2020 initiated public conversations around the need for antiracist teaching. Yet, over time the discussion evolved into policy debates around the use of Critical Race Theory in civics courses. The rapid transition masked the fact that we know little about Americans' policy preferences. Do Americans support antiracist teaching? What factors best… more →
Two Years Later: How COVID-19 has Shaped the Teacher Workforce
… The unprecedented challenges of teaching during COVID-19 prompted fears of a mass exodus … We examine the extent to which these fears were realized using administrative records of Massachusetts teachers between 2015-16 and 2021-22. Relative to pre-pandemic levels, average …The unprecedented challenges of teaching during COVID-19 prompted fears of a mass exodus from the profession. We examine the extent to which these fears were realized using administrative records of Massachusetts teachers between 2015-16 and 2021-22. Relative to pre-pandemic levels, average turnover rates were similar going into the fall of 2020 but increased by 17 percent going into the fall… more →
The Dynamics and Measurement of High School Homelessness and Achievement Disparities
… disparities between students who experience homelessness and those who do not. U sing administrative student-level … data from a mid-sized public school district in the Southern United States, we show that commonly used ways of defining which students are considered homeless can yield …There is no national consensus on how school districts calculate high school achievement disparities between students who experience homelessness and those who do not. Using administrative student-level data from a mid-sized public school district in the Southern United States, we show that commonly used ways of defining which students are considered homeless can yield markedly different… more →
A Descriptive Analysis of Cream Skimming and Pushout in Choice versus Traditional Public Schools
… One of the controversies surrounding charter schools is whether … students. We use these terms strictly for brevity and acknowledge that many of the reasons that students are … from Tennessee and North Carolina and linear probability models to examine whether there is evidence consistent with …One of the controversies surrounding charter schools is whether these schools may either “cream skim” high-performing students from traditional public schools or “pushout” low-achieving students or students with discipline histories, leaving traditional public schools to educate the most challenging students. We use these terms strictly for brevity and acknowledge that many of the reasons that… more →
Nudges Don’t Work When the Benefits Are Ambiguous: Evidence from a High-Stakes Education Program
… The Post-9/11 GI Bill allows service members to transfer … individuals for whom the transfer benefits are clear and individuals for whom the net-benefits are significantly more ambiguous. We find no impact of a one-time email about benefits transfer among service …The Post-9/11 GI Bill allows service members to transfer generous education benefits to a dependent. We run a large scale experiment that encourages service members to consider the transfer option among a population that includes individuals for whom the transfer benefits are clear and individuals for whom the net-benefits are significantly more ambiguous. We find no impact of a one-time email… more →
Promises and limitations of nudging in education
… This article takes stock of where the field of behavioral science applied to education policy seems to be at, which avenues seem promising and which ones seem like dead ends. I present a curated set … … Parents and communities … Program and policy effects … Promises and limitations of nudging in education …This article takes stock of where the field of behavioral science applied to education policy seems to be at, which avenues seem promising and which ones seem like dead ends. I present a curated set of studies rather than an exhaustive literature review, categorizing interventions by whether they nudge (keep options intact) or “shove” (restrict choice), and whether they apply a high or low… more →
Comprehensive Support and Student Success: Can Out of School Time Make a Difference?
… comprehensive program that provides education, nutrition, and social support services to disadvantaged students outside of the regular school day. In this paper I investigate the …StudentU is a comprehensive program that provides education, nutrition, and social support services to disadvantaged students outside of the regular school day. In this paper I investigate the effects of this multi-year program on the early high school outcomes of participating students by exploiting data from oversubscribed admissions lotteries. I estimate that lottery winners who entered the… more →
Taking It to the Limit: Effects of Increased Student Loan Availability on Attainment, Earnings, and Financial Well-Being
… Growing reliance on student loans and repayment difficulties have raised concerns of a student debt crisis in the United States. However, little is known about the effects …Growing reliance on student loans and repayment difficulties have raised concerns of a student debt crisis in the United States. However, little is known about the effects of student borrowing on human capital and long-run financial well-being. We use variation induced by recent expansions in federal loan limits, together with administrative schooling, earnings, and credit records, to identify… more →
The effects of English language development curriculum materials on students’ English proficiency
… development (ELD) curricular materials are one part of an instructional program, we assess this mandate by examining the effectiveness of ELD materials in Texas. Using local … weights with regression adjustment, kernel matching, and nearest neighbor matching--and a comparative interrupted …Castañeda v. Pickard (1981) mandated that educational programs for emergent bilinguals be tested for program efficacy. Since English language development (ELD) curricular materials are one part of an instructional program, we assess this mandate by examining the effectiveness of ELD materials in Texas. Using local linear matching, we find that schools that do not purchase any ELD curricula… more →
Targeted Interventions in High School: Preparing Students for College
… This study adds to the currently limited evidence base on the efficacy of interventions targeting non-college-ready high school … test scores. Using difference-in-regression discontinuity and difference-in-difference designs with seven cohorts of …This study adds to the currently limited evidence base on the efficacy of interventions targeting non-college-ready high school students by examining the impact of Kentucky’s Targeted Interventions (TI) program. We focus on interventions that students received under TI in the senior year of high school based on their 11th grade ACT test scores. Using difference-in-regression discontinuity and… more →
Mitigating the Gender Gap in the Willingness to Compete: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment
… We evaluate the impact on competitiveness of a randomized educational intervention that aims to foster … The intervention is implemented in elementary schools, and we measure its impact using a dynamic competition task …We evaluate the impact on competitiveness of a randomized educational intervention that aims to foster grit, a skill that is highly predictive of achievement. The intervention is implemented in elementary schools, and we measure its impact using a dynamic competition task with interim performance feedback. We find that when children are exposed to a worldview that emphasizes the role of effort… more →
Students with Growth Mindset Learn More in School: Evidence from California’s CORE School Districts
… While the importance of social-emotional learning for student success is well established, educators and researchers have less knowledge and agreement about which … and how these skills distribute across student subgroups. Using a rich longitudinal dataset of 221,840 fourth through …While the importance of social-emotional learning for student success is well established, educators and researchers have less knowledge and agreement about which social-emotional skills are most important for students and how these skills distribute across student subgroups. Using a rich longitudinal dataset of 221,840 fourth through seventh grade students in California districts, this paper… more →
Breaking the Cycle? Intergenerational Effects of an Anti-Poverty Program in Early Childhood
… Despite substantial evidence that resources and outcomes are transmitted across generations, there has been limited inquiry into the extent to which anti-poverty programs actually disrupt the cycle of bad outcomes. We explore how the effects of the United …Despite substantial evidence that resources and outcomes are transmitted across generations, there has been limited inquiry into the extent to which anti-poverty programs actually disrupt the cycle of bad outcomes. We explore how the effects of the United States’ largest early childhood program, Head Start, transfer across generations. We leverage the rollout of this federally funded, means-… more →
A comparison of postsecondary outcomes for Army service members, Veterans, and civilians
… education, there is relatively little evidence documenting the postsecondary trajectories of military service members after they return to civilian … how U.S. Army service member college enrollment and progression trends compare to a similar population of …Despite broad public interest in Veterans' education, there is relatively little evidence documenting the postsecondary trajectories of military service members after they return to civilian life. In the current report we investigate how U.S. Army service member college enrollment and progression trends compare to a similar population of civilians, using Army administrative… more →
Beyond the One-Teacher Model: Experimental Evidence on Using Embedded Paraprofessionals as Personalized Instructors
… a promising model for differentiating instruction within the classroom. This study examines two randomized controlled trials of paraprofessional-led tutoring in early-grade math and literacy. However, intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses …Using embedded paraprofessionals to provide personalized instruction is a promising model for differentiating instruction within the classroom. This study examines two randomized controlled trials of paraprofessional-led tutoring in early-grade math and literacy. However, intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses revealed no overall achievement impacts for either program. We then explore two mechanisms… more →
Investing in the Teacher Workforce: Experimental Evidence on Teachers’ Preferences
… While investing in the teacher workforce is central to improving schools, school … discrete choice survey experiment with a national sample of 1,030 U.S. teachers, we estimate how much teachers value … value access to special education specialists, counselors, and nurses more than a 10% salary increase or 3-student …While investing in the teacher workforce is central to improving schools, school resources are notoriously limited, forcing school leaders to make difficult decisions on how to prioritize funds. This paper examines a critical input to resource allocation decisions: teacher preferences. Using an original, online discrete choice survey experiment with a national sample of 1,030 U.S. teachers, we… more →
Does Increased Agency Improve the Effectiveness of Self-Directed Professional Learning for Educators?
… The role of teacher agency in professional learning has been the … but has not yet been tested in an experimental setting. To provide causal evidence of the impact of teacher agency on … learning resources, including training modules and teaching simulations. For this motivated subset of …The role of teacher agency in professional learning has been the subject of several qualitative studies but has not yet been tested in an experimental setting. To provide causal evidence of the impact of teacher agency on the effectiveness of professional learning, we conducted a preregistered randomized controlled trial in an online computer science course with volunteer instructors who teach… more →
Higher Education as Regional Development: Labor Market Impacts of Nigeria’s 2011 Federal University Expansion
… This paper examines the causal impact of higher education expansion on regional labor markets and human capital development. Exploiting the 2011 …This paper examines the causal impact of higher education expansion on regional labor markets and human capital development. Exploiting the 2011 establishment of nine federal universities across previously underserved Nigerian states, we implement a difference-in-differences approach to analyze effects on employment, wages, job quality, and sectoral composition. Our results show significant… more →
Puzzling Over Declining Academic Achievement
… Many are concerned about the large decline in K-12 student achievement since 2019. And rightly so, given what it signals about student learning … in student achievement growth that followed 30 years of increases. We examine the nature of achievement decline as …Many are concerned about the large decline in K-12 student achievement since 2019. And rightly so, given what it signals about student learning and later life outcomes. Less noted is the pre-pandemic sustained decline in student achievement growth that followed 30 years of increases. We examine the nature of achievement decline as measured by national and state NAEP scores to better understand… more →
The Correlated Proxy Problem: Why Control Variables can Obscure the Contribution of Selection Processes to Group-Level Inequality
… inequalities is an important societal question. In the context of observational data, researchers, concerned about … framework that clearly defines the quantity of interest and argue that researchers should only control for the extent …Whether selection processes contribute to group-level disparities or merely reflect pre-existing inequalities is an important societal question. In the context of observational data, researchers, concerned about omitted-variable bias, assess selection-contributing inequality via a kitchen-sink approach, comparing selection outcomes of different-group individuals net of various characteristics… more →
Noncredit Workforce Training, Industry Credentials, and Labor Market Outcomes
… credentials, but little research has been conducted on the economic benefits of these credentials in the labor market. This paper provides … model to estimate earnings premia net of fixed attributes and earnings time-trends. Our results indicate that earning …Many public workforce training programs lead to industry-recognized, third-party awarded credentials, but little research has been conducted on the economic benefits of these credentials in the labor market. This paper provides quasi-experimental evidence on the labor market returns to industry-recognized credentials connected to community college workforce noncredit training programs. Based… more →
Computer Science for All? The Impact of High School Computer Science Courses on College Majors and Earnings
… This study provides the first causal analysis of the impact of expanding Computer Science (CS) education in U.S. K-12 schools on students’ choice of college major and early career outcomes. Utilizing rich longitudinal data …This study provides the first causal analysis of the impact of expanding Computer Science (CS) education in U.S. K-12 schools on students’ choice of college major and early career outcomes. Utilizing rich longitudinal data from Maryland, we exploit variation from the staggered rollout of CS course offerings across high schools. Our findings suggest that taking a CS course increases students’… more →
Making Moves: The Role of Demotion in School Leadership
… This study examines the experience of demotion from a principalship to an assistant principalship and how race and gender can differentially impact career …This study examines the experience of demotion from a principalship to an assistant principalship and how race and gender can differentially impact career trajectories. Using administrative state dataset of 10,946 observations at the principal level, we used probit regression to determine the overall probability of demotion and Kaplan Meier survival analysis to estimate the differences in… more →
Opening the Black Box of College Major Choice: Evidence from an Information Intervention
… We study the importance of job-related and non-job-related factors in students’ college major choices. Using a staggered intervention that allows us to provide …We study the importance of job-related and non-job-related factors in students’ college major choices. Using a staggered intervention that allows us to provide students information about many different aspects of majors and to compare the magnitudes of the effects of each piece of information, we show that major choices depend on a wide set of factors. While students do not change their… more →
Effectiveness of Tier 1 Content-Integrated Literacy Intervention on Early Elementary English Learners’ Reading Comprehension and Writing: Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trial
… The current study replicated and extended the previous findings of content-integrated literacy intervention focusing on its … … James S. Kim … Patrick Rich … Student Learning … K-12 Education … Reading and literacy education … Elementary …The current study replicated and extended the previous findings of content-integrated literacy intervention focusing on its effectiveness on first- and second-grade English learners’ (N = 1,314) reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary knowledge, and oral proficiency. Statistically significant findings were replicated on science and social studies vocabulary knowledge (ES = .51 and .53,… more →
School Discipline and Racial Disparities in Early Adulthood
… Despite interest in the role of school discipline in the creation of racial inequality, … data to document the links between high school discipline and important young adult outcomes related to criminal …Despite interest in the role of school discipline in the creation of racial inequality, previous research has been unable to identify how students who receive suspensions in school differ from unsuspended classmates on key young adult outcomes. We utilize novel data to document the links between high school discipline and important young adult outcomes related to criminal justice contact,… more →
Sharing the Wealth: How Regional Finance and Desegregation Plans Can Enhance Educational Equity
… Most racial and ethnic segregation—and most financial inequities—in … three examples (Boston, MA; Hartford, CT; and Omaha, NE) to explore how interdistrict desegregation plans with … strategies have been designed, financed, and implemented. The report describes programs’ academic and social outcomes …Most racial and ethnic segregation—and most financial inequities—in American public schools occur between, not within, school districts. Solving these problems often requires interdistrict solutions based on cooperation within regions. This report uses three examples (Boston, MA; Hartford, CT; and Omaha, NE) to explore how interdistrict desegregation plans with innovative funding strategies… more →
The Effects of a Comprehensive College Transition Program on Psychosocial Factors Associated with Success in College
… We examine the effects of a comprehensive college transition program (CCTP) on four … with postsecondary success: sense of belonging, mattering, and academic and social self-efficacy. The CCTP operates on …We examine the effects of a comprehensive college transition program (CCTP) on four psychosocial outcomes associated with postsecondary success: sense of belonging, mattering, and academic and social self-efficacy. The CCTP operates on three four-year campuses and includes a range of supports, including shared academic courses, peer mentoring, and residential or common community spaces. We… more →
Improving Student Teachers’ Feelings of Preparedness to Teach Through Recruitment of Instructionally Effective and Experienced Cooperating Teachers: A Randomized Experiment
… teacher education programs feel better prepared to teach and are more instructionally effective when they learned to … to use historical administrative on teachers to recommend the most instructionally effective and experienced teachers … and experienced cooperating teachers and presents some of the first evidence that learning to teach with …Prior work suggests that recent graduates from teacher education programs feel better prepared to teach and are more instructionally effective when they learned to teach with more instructionally effective cooperating teachers. However, we do not know if these relationships are causal. Even if they are, we do not know if it is possible to recruit cooperating teachers who are, on average,… more →
Financial Aid For Future Educators: Assessing A Federal Grant's Impact On Students' Postsecondary Decisions
… Created in 2007, the federal TEACH grant program is a large federal financial … pay for a teaching degree. This paper describes the uptake and usage of the federal TEACH grant program across a large four-year …Created in 2007, the federal TEACH grant program is a large federal financial aid program that seeks to attract postsecondary students to the teaching profession by providing financial assistance to help pay for a teaching degree. This paper describes the uptake and usage of the federal TEACH grant program across a large four-year public university system. Initial findings suggest that there… more →
Disparate Teacher Effects, Comparative Advantage, and Match Quality
… student types, it has not distinguished between sorting and causal effects as the drivers of these disparities. I develop a flexible disparate …Does student-teacher match quality exist? While prior research documents disparities in teachers' impacts across student types, it has not distinguished between sorting and causal effects as the drivers of these disparities. I develop a flexible disparate value-added model (DVA) and introduce a novel measure of teacher quality–revealed comparative advantage (CA)–that captures the degree to… more →
Leveraging Quarterly Workforce Indicators to Analyze Teacher Labor Market Dynamics: Inequitable Trends in Educator Turnover
… Educator labor markets vary considerably across the country and can change quickly during recessions. We use data from … valid educator labor market measures. The strengths of the QWI address the limitations of other sources of labor …Educator labor markets vary considerably across the country and can change quickly during recessions. We use data from the Quality Workforce Indicators (QWI) on educators in Elementary and Secondary Schools from 2000-01 to 2022-23. We demonstrate how to transform the quarter-level data in the QWI to construct valid educator labor market measures. The strengths of the QWI address the… more →