EdWorkingPapers
The politics of progressivity: Court-ordered reforms, racial difference, and school finance fairness
… This paper contributes to our understanding of American education politics by exploring when and why states redistribute K-12 education dollars to poorer … lawmakers created less progressive finance systems. The paper concludes by discussing what these findings mean …This paper contributes to our understanding of American education politics by exploring when and why states redistribute K-12 education dollars to poorer schools. It does so by examining three explanations for intra-state changes in progressivity: court-ordered finance reforms, political trends, and demographic changes. Using state-level data from 1995-2016, we find mixed evidence that… more →
Assessors influence results: Evidence on enumerator effects and educational impact evaluations
… A significant share of education and development research uses data collected by … “enumerator effects”—or inconsistent practices between the individual people who administer measurement tools— can …A significant share of education and development research uses data collected by workers called “enumerators.” It is well-documented that “enumerator effects”—or inconsistent practices between the individual people who administer measurement tools— can be a key source of error in survey data collection. However, it is less understood whether this is a problem for academic assessments or… more →
The narrowing gender wage gap among faculty at public universities in the U.S.
… We study the conditional gender wage gap among faculty at public … Next, we construct a data panel to track the evolution of the wage gap through 2021. We show that the gap is … … Cory Koedel … Trang Pham … Staffing, Finance, and Operations … Post-secondary education … Higher education …We study the conditional gender wage gap among faculty at public research universities in the U.S. We begin by using a cross-sectional dataset from 2016 to replicate the long-standing finding in research that conditional on rich controls, female faculty earn less than their male colleagues. Next, we construct a data panel to track the evolution of the wage gap through 2021. We show that the gap… more →
Public School Choice, Outside Options, and Public School Enrollment
… In this paper, I study the effect of winning the public school choice lottery on public school … schools, geographic convenience of private schools, and zoned-school quality. Using rich administrative data from …In this paper, I study the effect of winning the public school choice lottery on public school enrollment. In particular, I look at how different outside options affect how sensitive students are to receiving their first choice in the public school lottery, focusing on three measures of outside options: ability to afford private schools, geographic convenience of private schools, and zoned-school… more →
Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults with Substantial College Credits But No Degree
… but no degree (SCND). Yet little is actually known about the SCND population. Using data from the Virginia Community … the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population, and how these compare to VCCS …Recent state policy efforts have focused on increasing attainment among adults with some college but no degree (SCND). Yet little is actually known about the SCND population. Using data from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), we provide the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population, and how these compare to VCCS graduates. We… more →
From Referrals to Suspensions: New Evidence on Racial Disparities in Exclusionary Discipline
… that do not lead to suspensions, to better understand the origins of racial disparities in exclusionary discipline. We find significant differences between Black and white students in both referral rates and the rate at …We use novel data on disciplinary referrals, including those that do not lead to suspensions, to better understand the origins of racial disparities in exclusionary discipline. We find significant differences between Black and white students in both referral rates and the rate at which referrals convert to suspensions. An infraction fixed-effects research design that compares the disciplinary… more →
The ‘Good’ Schools: Academic Performance Data, School Choice, and Segregation
… We examine the effects of disseminating academic performance data—either status, growth, or both—on parents’ school choices and their implications for racial, ethnic, and economic …We examine the effects of disseminating academic performance data—either status, growth, or both—on parents’ school choices and their implications for racial, ethnic, and economic segregation. We conduct an online survey experiment featuring a nationally representative sample of parents and caretakers of children age 0-12. Participants choose between three randomly sampled elementary schools… more →
Informal social interactions, behavior, and academic achievement
… We study the effects of informal social interactions on academic achievement and behavior using idiosyncratic variation in peer groups …We study the effects of informal social interactions on academic achievement and behavior using idiosyncratic variation in peer groups stemming from changes in bus routes across elementary, middle, and high school. In early grades, a one standard-deviation change in the value-added of same-grade bus peers corresponds to a 0.01 SD change in academic performance and a 0.03 SD change in behavior; by… more →
High-Impact Tutoring: State of the Research and Priorities for Future Learning
… strategy for addressing COVID-related learning loss and affording greater educational opportunities for students living in poverty. The effectiveness of tutoring programs, however, varies greatly, and these …Research consistently demonstrates that tutoring interventions have substantial positive effects on student learning. As a result, tutoring has emerged as a promising strategy for addressing COVID-related learning loss and affording greater educational opportunities for students living in poverty. The effectiveness of tutoring programs, however, varies greatly, and these variations may drive… more →
School District Revenue Shocks, Resource Allocations, and Student Achievement: Evidence from the Universe of U.S. Wind Energy Installations
… We examine the impact of wind energy installation on school district finances and student achievement using data on the timing, location, …We examine the impact of wind energy installation on school district finances and student achievement using data on the timing, location, and capacity of the universe of U.S. installations from 1995 through 2017. Wind energy installation substantially increased district revenues, causing large increases in capital outlays, but only modest increases in current spending, and little to no change in… more →
Within-Year Achievement Gains for English Learners
… This study reports achievement levels and fall-to-spring gains in grades K to 8 for three groups of English Learners (ELs): (a) ever-ELs who were ever … groups have lower mean math and reading achievement than the average of all students in kindergarten. Compared to the …This study reports achievement levels and fall-to-spring gains in grades K to 8 for three groups of English Learners (ELs): (a) ever-ELs who were ever eligible for service; (b) current-ELs who continue to require service; and (b) dually-identified students eligible for both EL and Special Education services. I leverage unique data that include 186,139 ever-ELs and their never-EL peers in 1,520… more →
Parental Resources and College Attendance: Evidence from Lottery Wins
… We examine U.S. children whose parents won the lottery to trace out the effect of financial resources on college attendance. The analysis leverages federal tax and financial aid records and substantial variation in win …We examine U.S. children whose parents won the lottery to trace out the effect of financial resources on college attendance. The analysis leverages federal tax and financial aid records and substantial variation in win size and timing. While per-dollar effects are modest, the relationship is weakly concave, with a high upper bound for amounts greatly exceeding college costs. Effects are smaller… more →
School Sector and Climate: Evidence from New York
… climate problems than district-run public schools because of additional competitive pressures, autonomy, and improved matches between schools and students. Using publicly available data from the New York State Education Department, I analyze …Public charter schools could theoretically experience fewer school climate problems than district-run public schools because of additional competitive pressures, autonomy, and improved matches between schools and students. Using publicly available data from the New York State Education Department, I analyze differences in 13 school climate problems between public charter school and district-run… more →
The Teacher Residency: An Innovative Model for Preparing Teachers
… programs offer an innovative approach to recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers for hard-to-staff schools. This report summarizes the features of these programs and research about their practices and …Newly emerging teacher residency programs offer an innovative approach to recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers for hard-to-staff schools. This report summarizes the features of these programs and research about their practices and outcomes. These programs create a vehicle to recruit teachers for high-needs fields and locations; offer recruits strong content and clinical preparation… more →
Washington’s College Bound Scholarship Program and its Effect on College Entry, Persistence, and Completion
… Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington have programs designed to address college … enrollment and completion gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle … enrollment from out-of-state to in-state colleges at which the scholarship could be used. While we find suggestive …Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington have programs designed to address college enrollment and completion gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle school students in exchange for making a pledge to do well in high school, be a good citizen, not be convicted of a felony, and apply for financial aid to college. Using a triple-difference specification, we find… more →
The Effects of Race to the Top School Turnaround in North Carolina
… Federal education policies gave political and financial support for state education agencies to … North Carolina’s ambitious program turned around over half of all schools nationwide that underwent turnaround funded by Race to the Top. Exploiting the assignment to turnaround based on …Federal education policies gave political and financial support for state education agencies to turnaround low-performing schools on an unprecedented scale. North Carolina’s ambitious program turned around over half of all schools nationwide that underwent turnaround funded by Race to the Top. Exploiting the assignment to turnaround based on schools’ 2009-10 proficiency rates, we implement … more →
Finishing the Last Lap: Experimental Evidence on Strategies to Increase College Completion for Students At Risk of Late Withdrawal
… Nearly half of students who enter college do not graduate. The majority … experimental intervention conducted across five states and 20 broad-access, public colleges and universities to …Nearly half of students who enter college do not graduate. The majority of efforts to increase college completion have focused on supporting students before or soon after they enter college, yet many students drop out after making significant progress towards their degree. In this paper, we report results from a multi-year, large-scale experimental intervention conducted across five states and 20… more →
Off to a Great Start: The Potential for Tutoring Paired with the Off2Class Foundational Literacy Curriculum to Boost English Proficiency Gains for Adolescent Newcomer English Learners
… education. Meanwhile, they need English literacy in middle and high school, where teachers expect students to read to … scarce. This randomized controlled trial study evaluates the impact of a tailored curriculum, Off2Class Foundational Literacy, …Adolescent English learners with low literacy strive to learn a new language with minimal or no reading skills. Their efforts are often complicated by having special learning needs or limited experiences with formal education. Meanwhile, they need English literacy in middle and high school, where teachers expect students to read to learn rather than learn to read. Evidence on effective… more →
Teacher Strikes and the Demobilization of Republican Voters
… Protests can mobilize both supporters and opponents. Extant research suggests that disruptive … particularly likely to mobilize opponents, yet strikes—one of the most disruptive forms of protest—have been largely absent …Protests can mobilize both supporters and opponents. Extant research suggests that disruptive protests are particularly likely to mobilize opponents, yet strikes—one of the most disruptive forms of protest—have been largely absent from this literature. We use an original dataset of 716 teacher strikes from 2007-2020 to examine the causal effects of teacher strikes on political participation.… more →
Teacher-colleague race congruence and mobility: Do colleague demographics impact teacher retention?
… Teacher turnover is especially pronounced among teachers of color who play critically important roles in the success of students of color. A growing literature points … be a potential mechanism that leads teachers to stay, and whether that relationship might vary by teacher race. …Teacher turnover is especially pronounced among teachers of color who play critically important roles in the success of students of color. A growing literature points to racial isolation as one factor that is associated with Black teacher job satisfaction in particular, which in turn could play a role in a teacher’s decision to remain in a school. However, little is known about whether having… more →
Applying to Lead: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Prospective Principals’ Job Application Strategies in Two Urban Districts
… schools. Prospective principals’ engagement with the job application process may contribute to these challenges. The goal of this study is to better understand the job search strategies and behaviors of prospective principals and how their …Purpose: Urban school districts often face challenges in filling principal vacancies with effective leaders, especially in high-needs schools. Prospective principals’ engagement with the job application process may contribute to these challenges. The goal of this study is to better understand the job search strategies and behaviors of prospective principals and how their approaches might… more →
Empowering Educational Leaders: On-Track Indicators for College Enrollment
… As states incorporate measures of college readiness into their accountability systems, school and district leaders need effective strategies to identify … on course failures or standardized test scores. However, the performance of these indicators varies across different …As states incorporate measures of college readiness into their accountability systems, school and district leaders need effective strategies to identify and support students at risk of not enrolling in college. Although there is an abundant literature on early warning indicators for high school dropout, fewer studies focus on indicators for college enrollment, especially those that are simple to… more →
The Effects of Teacher Strikes On Compensation, Working Conditions, and Productivity
… We examine how teacher strikes in the United States affect compensation, working conditions, and productivity with an original dataset of 745 teacher strikes between 2007 and 2024. Using an event …We examine how teacher strikes in the United States affect compensation, working conditions, and productivity with an original dataset of 745 teacher strikes between 2007 and 2024. Using an event study framework, we find that the average strike leads to a 6% ($7,629) increase in combined annual wages and benefits and a 0.5 student (3.2%) decline in pupil-teacher ratios after five years. There is… more →
Gifted Identification Across the Distribution of Family Income
… Currently, 6.1 percent of K-12 students in the United States receive gifted education. Using education and IRS data that provide information on students and their …Currently, 6.1 percent of K-12 students in the United States receive gifted education. Using education and IRS data that provide information on students and their family income, we show pronounced differences in who schools identify as gifted across the distribution of family income. Under 4 percent of students in the lowest income percentile are identified as gifted, compared with 20 percent of… more →
Fast Track to Success? A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Condensed Course Formats at Tennessee Community Colleges
… improve student outcomes, one solution gaining traction is the adoption of condensed courses (i.e., shortened academic terms). We … the effect of enrolling in a condensed course on course- and student-level outcomes at all public community colleges …As colleges face increasing pressure to improve student outcomes, one solution gaining traction is the adoption of condensed courses (i.e., shortened academic terms). We employ quasi-experimental methods to estimate the effect of enrolling in a condensed course on course- and student-level outcomes at all public community colleges in Tennessee. We also leverage interviews with college faculty,… more →
Tutor CoPilot: A Human-AI Approach for Scaling Real-Time Expertise
… randomized controlled trial involving more than 700 tutors and 1,000 students from underserved communities, students … math topics (p<0.01). Gains were highest for students of lower-rated tutors (+9 p.p.), and the tool is low-cost (about $20/tutor/year). Analysis of over …Generative AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), can expand access to expert guidance in domains like education, where such support is often limited. We introduce Tutor CoPilot, a Human-AI system that models expert thinking to assist tutors in real time. In a randomized controlled trial involving more than 700 tutors and 1,000 students from underserved communities, students with tutors… more →
Do As I Say: What Teachers’ Language Reveals About Classroom Management Practices
… Classroom management critically affects students’ academic and behavioral outcomes, yet we lack quantitative methods for … This study develops and validates language-based measures of classroom management—such as responding to student behavior and issuing verbal or material sanctions—using natural language processing (NLP) on 1,652 elementary …Classroom management critically affects students’ academic and behavioral outcomes, yet we lack quantitative methods for observing these practices at scale. This study develops and validates language-based measures of classroom management—such as responding to student behavior and issuing verbal or material sanctions—using natural language processing (NLP) on 1,652 elementary mathematics… more →
Gender Gaps in the Early Grades: Questioning the Narrative that Schools are Poorly Suited to Young Boys
… A growing number of scholars and educational leaders have raised concerns that the mismatch between an increasingly academic focus in the …A growing number of scholars and educational leaders have raised concerns that the mismatch between an increasingly academic focus in the early grades and boys’ maturity at school entry is disadvantaging young boys in school. In this study, we use a unique dataset of ten million students to trace the development of math and reading gender gaps from kindergarten to fifth grade for nine cohorts of… more →
School Enrollment Shifts Five Years After the Pandemic
… The pandemic induced a substantial enrollment shift away from public schools in fall 2020 and a partial return of students in fall 2021, leaving longer-term impacts …The pandemic induced a substantial enrollment shift away from public schools in fall 2020 and a partial return of students in fall 2021, leaving longer-term impacts unclear. We use Massachusetts state- and district-level data to explore enrollment patterns five years after the pandemic’s onset. Relative to pre-pandemic trends, fall 2024 enrollment is down 2% in local public schools, up 14% in… more →
The Effect of Raising School Quality on Earnings
… The evidence underscores the need to shift attention from … While the average global return to an additional year of schooling is about 10 percent, a one standard deviation … … K-12 Education … Human capital … Returns to education and skills … The Effect of Raising School Quality on Earnings …The evidence underscores the need to shift attention from school attainment to actual learning. While the average global return to an additional year of schooling is about 10 percent, a one standard deviation increase in test scores raises earnings by 15 percent. Studies show that including direct measures of skills reduces the estimated return to schooling, revealing the stronger role of quality… more →
A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence on Racial Disproportionality in Special Education
… This essay provides a two-pronged critical assessment of a subset of the literature on racial disproportionality in special … comparable White students to receive special education, and has been interpreted by many to mean that current …This essay provides a two-pronged critical assessment of a subset of the literature on racial disproportionality in special education: that which aims to estimate racial disparities among otherwise similar children. This body of research has shown that Black students are less likely than comparable White students to receive special education, and has been interpreted by many to mean that current… more →
A Framework for Evaluating and Reforming School Vouchers
… Following the 2002 work of economist Henry Levin, who laid out a framework for … four major goals: equity, effiency, accountability and democratic goals. We review what is known from recent … how existing research and evidence can and should be used to inform policy decision making and how ongoing evaluation …Following the 2002 work of economist Henry Levin, who laid out a framework for evaluating school vouchers, we provide an updated framework involving four major goals: equity, effiency, accountability and democratic goals. We review what is known from recent research around these four major areas under today’s voucher programs. We raise questions that policymakers and advocates should ask when… more →
Leveling the Playing Field: Default Policy and its Effects on English Learner Reclassification
… Reclassification, the process by which English learner (EL) students exit EL … eligible students. This study examines the impact of shifting reclassification responsibility from school … to the literature on default policies in K-12 education and provide evidence on policies that promote equity in EL …Reclassification, the process by which English learner (EL) students exit EL classification, often determines ELs’ access to mainstream academic coursework. While existing research finds that many students who demonstrate English proficiency do not reclassify, few studies evaluate policies that effectively reclassify eligible students. This study examines the impact of shifting reclassification… more →
The Causal Effect of Parenting Style on Early Child Development
… This paper presents causal evidence on the impact of parenting practices on early child development. We exploit … parenting practices on child outcomes. We find a large and significant impact measured at age two; in contrast, at …This paper presents causal evidence on the impact of parenting practices on early child development. We exploit exogenous changes in nurturing care induced by a parent training intervention to estimate the impact of nurturing parenting practices on child outcomes. We find a large and significant impact measured at age two; in contrast, at age four nurturing care has only a modest, and imprecisely… more →
Embedded Tutoring in California Community Colleges: Perspectives from the Field on a Promising Practice
… Drawing on qualitative data collected in a sample of colleges as part of a larger study on the implementation and impact of Assembly Bill 705 in California, this paper …Drawing on qualitative data collected in a sample of colleges as part of a larger study on the implementation and impact of Assembly Bill 705 in California, this paper explores the rollout of corequisite reforms, focusing on the use of embedded tutors in introductory math and English courses as a strategy to meet to the needs of students. This paper highlights promising practices identified… more →
Scaling High-impact tutoring: School Level Perspectives on Implementation Challenges and Strategies
… for addressing learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. While existing research shows that … this study examined the school-level facilitators and barriers to scaling high-impact tutoring. Situated in an urban …High-impact tutoring has emerged as a primary school district investment for addressing learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. While existing research shows that high-impact tutoring is effective for accelerating student learning, this study examined the school-level facilitators and barriers to scaling high-impact tutoring. Situated in an urban traditional school district and… more →
ESSER-ting Preferences: Examining School District Preferences for Using Federal Pandemic Relief Fundings
… We analyzed the proposed spending data for the American Recovery Plan’s Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief III (ESSER III) fund from the spring of 2021 of nearly 3,000 traditional public-school districts …We analyzed the proposed spending data for the American Recovery Plan’s Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief III (ESSER III) fund from the spring of 2021 of nearly 3,000 traditional public-school districts in the United States to (1) identify trends in the strategies adopted and (2) to test whether spending strategies were observably heterogeneous across district characteristics. We found… more →
Disentangling Person-Dependent and Item-Dependent Causal Effects: Applications of Item Response Theory to the Estimation of Treatment Effect Heterogeneity
… effects (HTE) plays a crucial role in understanding the impacts of educational interventions. A standard practice for HTE … is to examine interactions between treatment status and pre-intervention participant characteristics, such as …Analyzing heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE) plays a crucial role in understanding the impacts of educational interventions. A standard practice for HTE analysis is to examine interactions between treatment status and pre-intervention participant characteristics, such as pretest scores, to identify how different groups respond to treatment. This study demonstrates that identical patterns of… more →
When Pell Today Doesn’t Mean Pell Tomorrow: Evaluating Aid Programs With Dynamic Eligibility
… aid improves students’ academic outcomes. However, the largest source of need-based grant aid in the United States, the Federal … using Kentucky administrative data. We focus on whether and how year-to-year changes in aid eligibility and …Generally, need-based financial aid improves students’ academic outcomes. However, the largest source of need-based grant aid in the United States, the Federal Pell Grant Program (Pell), has a mixed evaluation record. We assess the minimum Pell Grant in a regression discontinuity framework, using Kentucky administrative data. We focus on whether and how year-to-year changes in aid eligibility and… more →
College-Major Choice to College-then-Major Choice: The Heterogeneous Impacts of Late Specification Reforms on College Student Composition
… This paper provides one of the first natural experimental evidence on the … to apply to a meta-major consisting of different majors and to declare a specialization late in college instead of …This paper provides one of the first natural experimental evidence on the consequences of a transition from college-major (early specialization) to college-then-major (late specialization) choice mechanism. Specifically, we study a recent reform in China that allows college applicants to apply to a meta-major consisting of different majors and to declare a specialization late in college instead… more →
Underrepresented Minority Students in College: The Role of Classmates
… The role of racial diversity at college campuses has been debated for … with limited quasi-experimental evidence from classrooms. To fill this void, I estimate the extent that classmate racial compositions affect Hispanic and African-American students at a large and over-subscribed …The role of racial diversity at college campuses has been debated for over a half a century with limited quasi-experimental evidence from classrooms. To fill this void, I estimate the extent that classmate racial compositions affect Hispanic and African-American students at a large and over-subscribed California community college where they are minorities. I find that when minority students are… more →
How Much Do Early Teachers Matter?
… We present new estimates of the importance of teachers in early grades for later grade … to eighth-grade outcomes between an effective and ineffective fourth-grade teacher is about half the …We present new estimates of the importance of teachers in early grades for later grade outcomes, but unlike the existing literature that examines teacher “fade-out,” we directly compare the contribution of early-grade teachers to later year outcomes against the contributions of later year teachers to the same later year outcomes. Where the prior literature finds that much of the contribution of… more →
From Interest to Entry: The Teacher Pipeline From College Application to Initial Employment
… objective for K – 12 public education, but understanding of the early teacher pipeline remains limited. We leverage the … 2009 – 2020 to examine the pipeline into teacher education and employment as a K – 12 public school teacher. A unique …Strengthening teacher supply is a key policy objective for K–12 public education, but understanding of the early teacher pipeline remains limited. We leverage the universe of applications to a large public university in Texas from 2009–2020 to examine the pipeline into teacher education and employment as a K–12 public school teacher. A unique feature of Texas's centralized higher education… more →
Is a Name Change a Game Change? The Impact of College-to-University Conversions
… In the competitive U.S. higher education market, institutions … differentiate themselves to attract both students and tuition dollars. One understudied example of this differentiation is the increasing trend of "colleges" …In the competitive U.S. higher education market, institutions differentiate themselves to attract both students and tuition dollars. One understudied example of this differentiation is the increasing trend of "colleges" becoming "universities" by changing their names. Leveraging variation in the timing of such conversions in an event study framework, I show that becoming a university increases… more →
Typologizing Teacher Practice: How Teachers Integrate Culturally Responsive, Ambitious, and Traditional Teaching Approaches
… As states and districts expand their goals for equitable mathematics … approaches. Drawing on survey data from a larger study of professional learning, we use mixture modeling to identify … and culturally responsive (CR) mathematics instruction. The resulting typology is driven almost exclusively by …As states and districts expand their goals for equitable mathematics instruction to focus on cultural responsiveness and rigor, it is critical to understand how teachers integrate multiple teaching approaches. Drawing on survey data from a larger study of professional learning, we use mixture modeling to identify seven unique ways that middle school mathematics teachers integrate ambitious,… more →
The Impact of a Messaging Intervention on Parents’ School Hesitancy During COVID-19
… During the 2020-21 school year, families' access to--and desire to participate in--in-person schooling was highly … simple access to in-person opportunities. In the context of a nationally-representative survey study, we tested the …During the 2020-21 school year, families' access to--and desire to participate in--in-person schooling was highly stratified along racial and income lines. Research to date suggests that "school hesitancy" was driven by concerns about "fit" and safety, as well as simple access to in-person opportunities. In the context of a nationally-representative survey study, we tested the impact of targeted… more →
Design Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities in the Evolution of Philanthropic Giving
… investment in education has evolved considerably over the past several decades. This paper provides early evidence of another distinct adaptation, which we dub design … the instructional core. We describe the broad contours and characteristics of design philanthropy, which employs a …Philanthropic investment in education has evolved considerably over the past several decades. This paper provides early evidence of another distinct adaptation, which we dub design philanthropy. In contrast to the macro-level structural reforms recently supported by large foundations, design philanthropy seeks to directly influence the instructional core. We describe the broad contours and… more →
School Boards and Education Production: Evidence from Randomized Ballot Order
… We examine the causal influence of educators elected to the school board on local education … elected to the school board reduces charter schooling and increases teacher salaries in the school district …We examine the causal influence of educators elected to the school board on local education production. The key empirical challenge is that school board composition is endogenously determined through the electoral process. To overcome this, we develop a novel research design that leverages California's randomized assignment of the order that candidate names appear on election ballots. We find… more →
Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in the Relationship Between Children’s Early Literacy Skills and Third-Grade Outcomes: Lessons from a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
… Third grade is oftentimes the first year standardized literacy assessments are … struggles begin well before third grade, as do racial and socioeconomic disparities in children’s literacy skills. … a unique opportunity to better understand the emergence of literacy disparities. We use unique kindergarten literacy …Third grade is oftentimes the first year standardized literacy assessments are mandated. In turn many policies aimed at improving literacy have focused on third-grade test scores as a key indicator. Yet literacy struggles begin well before third grade, as do racial and socioeconomic disparities in children’s literacy skills. Kindergarten readiness assessments provide a unique opportunity to… more →
Increasing success in higher education: The relationships of online course taking with college completion and time-to-degree
… but research suggests that students may learn less and persist at lower rates compared to face-to-face settings. … few research studies have investigated more distal effects of online education. In this study we analyzed six years of … policy effects … Increasing success in higher education: The relationships of online course taking with college …Online courses provide flexible learning opportunities, but research suggests that students may learn less and persist at lower rates compared to face-to-face settings. However, few research studies have investigated more distal effects of online education. In this study we analyzed six years of institutional data for three cohorts of students in thirteen large majors (N=10,572) at a public… more →