EdWorkingPapers
Are Friends of Schools the Enemies of Equity? The Interplay of Public School Funding Policies and Private External Fundraising
… School districts across the U.S. have adopted funding policies designed to distribute … We document the interaction between funding policies and fundraising efforts in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). We find that adoption of a weighted-student funding policy successfully reallocated …School districts across the U.S. have adopted funding policies designed to distribute resources more equitably across schools. However, schools are also increasing external fundraising efforts to supplement district budget allocations. We document the interaction between funding policies and fundraising efforts in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). We find that adoption of a weighted-student funding… more →
The Academic Effects of Moving to Middle School on Students with Disabilities Relative to their General Education Peers
… on general education students (GENs). We explore if and how the move to middle school differentially affects students … with disabilities (SWDs), a large and low-performing group of students. Using an instrumental variables strategy and NYC …Middle school transitions are increasingly required, despite documented negative effects on general education students (GENs). We explore if and how the move to middle school differentially affects students with disabilities (SWDs), a large and low-performing group of students. Using an instrumental variables strategy and NYC data on nine cohorts of students, we find the middle school transition… more →
The Effects of Early Literacy Policies on Student Achievement
… Given the importance of early literacy to long-term student success, by 2021, 41 states and the District of Columbia adopted early literacy policies …Given the importance of early literacy to long-term student success, by 2021, 41 states and the District of Columbia adopted early literacy policies to improve student literacy by the end of third grade. We use an event-study approach to examine the impact of these policies on high- and low-stakes test scores. Our results suggest that adopting an early literacy policy improves elementary students… more →
Debt Moratoria: Evidence from Student Loan Forbearance
… We evaluate the effects of the 2020 student debt moratorium that paused payments for … payment pause led to a sharp drop in student loan payments and delinquencies for borrowers subject to the debt …We evaluate the effects of the 2020 student debt moratorium that paused payments for student loan borrowers. Using administrative credit panel data, we show that the payment pause led to a sharp drop in student loan payments and delinquencies for borrowers subject to the debt moratorium, as well as an increase in credit scores. We find a large stimulus effect, as borrowers substitute increased… more →
Out of the Gate, but Not Necessarily Teaching: A Descriptive Portrait of Early-Career Earnings for Those Who Are Credentialed to Teach
… in Washington State has shown that about two thirds of individuals who trained to become teachers between 2005 and 2015 and received a teaching credential did not enter the state’s public teaching workforce immediately after …Prior work on teacher candidates in Washington State has shown that about two thirds of individuals who trained to become teachers between 2005 and 2015 and received a teaching credential did not enter the state’s public teaching workforce immediately after graduation, while about one third never entered a public teaching job in the state at all. In this analysis, we link data on these teacher… more →
Latinx Community College Students Experiencing Financial Aid Income Verification: A Critical Race Analysis
… Every year millions of students seeking access to federal financial aid complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) … Race Theory, I contend the verification process reflects and upholds institutional racism within the financial aid …Every year millions of students seeking access to federal financial aid complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application which grants an estimated $234 billion in federal aid in the 2020-21 academic year. Upon receiving students’ FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education selects some students for income verification, a process in which educational institutions check the… more →
Variation in the Relationship between School Spending and Achievement: Progressive Spending Is Efficient
… The equity-efficiency tradeoff and cumulative return theories predict larger returns to … returns vary between counties with low and high levels of initial human capital (measured as birth weight), child …The equity-efficiency tradeoff and cumulative return theories predict larger returns to school spending in areas with higher previous investment in children. Equity – not efficiency – is therefore used to justify progressive school funding: spending more in communities with fewer financial resources. Yet it remains unclear how returns to school spending vary across areas by previous investment.… more →
A Simple Nudge Increases Socioeconomic Diversity in Undergraduate Economics
… a light-touch intervention can increase socioeconomic and racial diversity in undergraduate Economics. We randomly … over 2,200 students a message with basic information about the Economics major; the basic message combined with an … major; or no message. Messages increased the proportion of first generation or underrepresented minority (URM) …We assess whether a light-touch intervention can increase socioeconomic and racial diversity in undergraduate Economics. We randomly assigned over 2,200 students a message with basic information about the Economics major; the basic message combined with an emphasis on the rewarding careers or financial returns associated with the major; or no message. Messages increased the proportion of first… more →
Labor Market Signaling and the Value of College: Evidence from Resumes and the Truth
… do college non-completers list schooling on their resumes? The negative signal of not completing might outweigh the positive signal of … related to schooling characteristics, such as selectivity and years of enrollment. We also find evidence of lying, and …How do college non-completers list schooling on their resumes? The negative signal of not completing might outweigh the positive signal of attending but not persisting. If so, job-seekers might hide non-completed schooling on their resumes. To test this we match resumes from an online jobs board to administrative educational records. We find that fully one in three job-seekers who attended… more →
For‐Profit Colleges in the United States: Insights from Two Decades of Research
… In this paper, I review the economics literature on for-profit college education in … assessing what we know about institutional behavior and student outcomes after two decades of research. The many studies reviewed here reveal some …In this paper, I review the economics literature on for-profit college education in the United States, assessing what we know about institutional behavior and student outcomes after two decades of research. The many studies reviewed here reveal some consistent patterns. It is clear that for-profits compete with institutions in other sectors, yet they behave differently than their public and… more →
Culture and Student Achievement: The Intertwined Roles of Patience and Risk-Taking
… Patience and risk-taking – two cultural traits that steer … in student achievement, we combine PISA tests with the Global Preference Survey. We find that opposing effects of patience (positive) and risk-taking (negative) together …Patience and risk-taking – two cultural traits that steer intertemporal decision-making – are fundamental to human capital investment decisions. To understand how they contribute to international differences in student achievement, we combine PISA tests with the Global Preference Survey. We find that opposing effects of patience (positive) and risk-taking (negative) together account for two-… more →
The Forgotten 20 Percent: Achievement and Growth in Rural Schools Across the Nation
… school, yet we know very little about achievement gaps and academic growth in rural schools. This study leverages a … longitudinal test scores for more than five million 3rd to 8th grade students in approximately 17,000 public schools across the 50 states, including 900,000 students attending 4,727 …Nearly one in five U.S. students attends a rural school, yet we know very little about achievement gaps and academic growth in rural schools. This study leverages a unique dataset that includes longitudinal test scores for more than five million 3rd to 8th grade students in approximately 17,000 public schools across the 50 states, including 900,000 students attending 4,727 rural schools. We find… more →
Categorical Inequality in Black and White: Linking Disproportionality across Multiple Educational Outcomes
… We characterize the extent to which Black-White gaps for multiple educational … retention, classification into special education and Gifted and Talented, and Advanced Placement course-taking … and parent education are strikingly consistent predictors of these gaps, and districts with large gaps in one outcome …We characterize the extent to which Black-White gaps for multiple educational outcomes are linked across school districts in the United States. Gaps in disciplinary action, grade-level retention, classification into special education and Gifted and Talented, and Advanced Placement course-taking are large in magnitude and correlated. Racial differences in family income and parent education are… more →
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, we… 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 socioeconomic… more →
The legacy of Plyler v. Doe: A critical window of inclusion
… This study examines whether the 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision increased … in Texas. The analysis asks whether removing tuition and enrollment barriers changed participation patterns … and broadly shared across gender, with suggestive evidence of larger effects among lower-income students. The study …This study examines whether the 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision increased school participation among Latino K–12 students likely to be undocumented in Texas. The analysis asks whether removing tuition and enrollment barriers changed participation patterns relative to comparable states without similar exclusionary statutes. To address limitations in citizenship measurement in schools, we… 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 →
Mapping the Mechanisms of Interdisciplinary Learning Transfer from Reading to Math Achievement: Evidence from a Large-Scale Randomized Controlled Trial
… Far transfer---the application of learning across distant domains---remains elusive in intervention research, and even when it is found, its mechanisms remain unclear or …Far transfer---the application of learning across distant domains---remains elusive in intervention research, and even when it is found, its mechanisms remain unclear or unexplored. This study analyzes data from the Model of Reading Engagement (MORE), a sustained content literacy intervention implemented in Grades 1-3 that demonstrated positive treatment effects on both near transfer reading and… 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 Title… more →
Public Opinion on Electoral Policy: Evidence from U.S. School Board Elections
… explanations for this stability suggest elected officials and citizens who stand to lose influence under new arrangements will oppose change. We explore the nature of public awareness and opinion regarding an electoral …Changes to electoral systems are relatively rare in established democracies. Conventional explanations for this stability suggest elected officials and citizens who stand to lose influence under new arrangements will oppose change. We explore the nature of public awareness and opinion regarding an electoral institution that has undergone notable change in recent decades—the timing of local school… more →
Nudging Parents out the Door: The Impacts of Parental Encouragement on School Choice and Test Scores
… a large-scale SMS outreach program to engage caregivers of students in private primary schools in Kenya. Using a … types of weekly SMS messages: growth-mindset encouragement and personalized performance information. We find two main … affects both learning production and school choice. The model shows that when parents update their understanding …This study evaluates a large-scale SMS outreach program to engage caregivers of students in private primary schools in Kenya. Using a two-stage randomization design, we tested two types of weekly SMS messages: growth-mindset encouragement and personalized performance information. We find two main effects: First, outreach improved test scores by 0.07 standard deviations, with particularly strong… more →
Homelessness and Student Outcomes by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and School Level
… A substantial number of U.S. students experience homelessness, yet our … 40,000 students who experienced homelessness, to examine the associations between homelessness and academic and behavioral outcomes. Our data indicate that …A substantial number of U.S. students experience homelessness, yet our understanding of how homelessness shapes student outcomes is limited. We use seven years of longitudinal data on Indiana students in kindergarten through eighth grade, including more than 40,000 students who experienced homelessness, to examine the associations between homelessness and academic and behavioral outcomes. Our… more →
Transitioning Teacher Talent: An Ethnoracial Descriptive Portrait of the Paraprofessional-to-Teacher Pipeline in New York City Public Schools
… Districts nationwide seek to diversify the educator workforce, yet pathways for paraprofessionals—typically more ethnoracially and linguistically diverse than the general teacher … need for targeted support to strengthen both the retention of paraprofessionals and their success as classroom teachers …Districts nationwide seek to diversify the educator workforce, yet pathways for paraprofessionals—typically more ethnoracially and linguistically diverse than the general teacher pipeline—remain understudied. Using administrative data from New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), this study examines paraprofessionals’ demographic, transition, and exit patterns. Between 2016–17 and 2023–24, the… 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 social… 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 mathematical… 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 college… 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 explain… 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 of… 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 touch… 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 have… 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 in… 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 →