EdWorkingPapers
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 →
Mechanisms of Effect Size Differences Between Researcher Developed and Independently Developed Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of Item-Level Data
… in effect sizes between researcher developed (RD) and independently developed (ID) outcome measures are widely … in effects by RD or ID outcome type. Our analysis of 45 effect sizes from 30 studies shows that both greater … and item easiness predict larger effect sizes and reduce the observed difference between RD and ID measures from .24 …Differences in effect sizes between researcher developed (RD) and independently developed (ID) outcome measures are widely documented but poorly understood in education research. We conduct a meta-analysis using item-level outcome data to test potential mechanisms that explain differences in effects by RD or ID outcome type. Our analysis of 45 effect sizes from 30 studies shows that both greater… 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 →
The Impact of International Students on US Colleges: Higher Education as a Service Export
… Between 2005 and 2016, international enrollment in US higher education … institutions' historical networks with different origins of international students, income growth, and exchange-rate … and organizations … Race, ethnicity and culture … The Impact of International Students on US Colleges: Higher …Between 2005 and 2016, international enrollment in US higher education nearly doubled. I examine how trade shocks in education affect public universities' decision-making. I construct a shift-share instrument to exploit institutions' historical networks with different origins of international students, income growth, and exchange-rate fluctuations. Contrary to claims that US-born students are… more →
Using Behavioral Insights to Improve School Administrative Communications: The Case of Truancy Notifications
… parents when students have missed multiple unexcused days of school. We report a randomized experiment ( N = 131,312) evaluating the impact of sending parents truancy notifications modified … used simplified language, emphasized parental efficacy, and highlighted the negative incremental effects of missing …Many states mandate districts or schools notify parents when students have missed multiple unexcused days of school. We report a randomized experiment (N = 131,312) evaluating the impact of sending parents truancy notifications modified to target behavioral barriers that can hinder effective parental engagement. Modified truancy notifications that used simplified language, emphasized… more →
Heroes, Villains, or Something In Between? How “Right to Work” Policies Affect Teachers, Students, and Education Policymaking
… Although the Janus v. AFCSME (2018) decision fundamentally changed the … little research exists to conceptualize the effects of such policies that hinder unionization. To fill this gap, … how exposure to a RTW policy affects students, teachers, and education policymaking. I find that RTW policies lead to …Although the Janus v. AFCSME (2018) decision fundamentally changed the institutional context for U.S. teachers’ unions by placing all public school teachers in a “Right to Work” (RTW) framework, little research exists to conceptualize the effects of such policies that hinder unionization. To fill this gap, I exploit the different timing across states in the passage of RTW policies in a… more →
Aspirations, Education, and Extreme Poverty
… outstrip people's ability to pursue them. We study the relationship between family aspirations for children and later child educational outcomes in an extremely poor … educational and career aspirations for thousands of rural Gambian children about to begin schooling. While …Aspirations shape important future-oriented behaviors, including educational investment. Higher family aspirations for children predict better educational outcomes in multiple developing countries. Unfortunately, aspirations sometimes outstrip people's ability to pursue them. We study the relationship between family aspirations for children and later child educational outcomes in an extremely… more →
The Impact of Merit Aid on College Choice and Degree Attainment: Reexamining Florida’s Bright Futures Program
… We replicate and extend prior work on Florida’s Bright Futures merit aid … shifts among Hispanic and White students. Our findings of these minimal-at-best impacts contrast those of prior … improvements and more robust data, and further underscore the importance of study replication. (JEL: H75, I21, I22, …We replicate and extend prior work on Florida’s Bright Futures merit aid scholarship to consider its effect on college enrollment and degree completion. We estimate causal impacts using a regression discontinuity design to exploit SAT thresholds that strongly determine eligibility. We find no positive impacts on attendance or attainment, and instrumental variable results generally reject… more →
Disproportionate Burden: Estimating the Cost of FAFSA Verification for Public Colleges and Universities
… that requires selected students to further attest that the information reported on their FAFSA is accurate and complete. In this brief, we estimate institutional costs of administrating the FAFSA verification mandate and consider …Verification is a federally mandated process that requires selected students to further attest that the information reported on their FAFSA is accurate and complete. In this brief, we estimate institutional costs of administrating the FAFSA verification mandate and consider variation in costs by institution type and sector. Using data from 2014, we estimate that compliance costs to institutions… more →
Decreasing Time to Baccalaureate Degree in the United States
… After increasing in the 1970s and 1980s, time to bachelor’s degree has declined since the … … Methodology, measurement and data … Multiple outcomes of education … Standards, accountability, assessment, and …After increasing in the 1970s and 1980s, time to bachelor’s degree has declined since the 1990s. We document this fact using data from three nationally representative surveys. We show that this pattern is occurring across school types and for all student types. Using administrative student records from 11 large universities, we confirm the finding and show that it is robust to alternative sample… more →
The Effects of Student Growth Data on School District Choice: Evidence from a Survey Experiment
… to a new metropolitan area. They then choose between the five largest school districts in that area. All … are randomly assigned to receive average achievement and/or average growth data for each district. While there are … are much weaker. We find that, on average, the provision of growth data causes participants to choose less white and …We conduct an online survey experiment in which participants are asked to imagine that they are parents moving to a new metropolitan area. They then choose between the five largest school districts in that area. All participants receive demographic data for each district. In addition, some participants are randomly assigned to receive average achievement and/or average growth data for each… more →
Why Do School Districts Matter? An Interdisciplinary Framework and Empirical Review
… school districts about how to improve system performance and increase equity? Despite over 30 years of inquiry on the topic of effective districts, existing frameworks are …What guidance does research provide school districts about how to improve system performance and increase equity? Despite over 30 years of inquiry on the topic of effective districts, existing frameworks are relatively narrow in terms of disciplinary focus (primarily educational leadership perspectives) and research design (primarily qualitative case studies). To bridge this gap, we first review… more →
Investigating the “Draw of Home” and Teachers’ Career Decisions
… test whether proximity to home is related to retention in the teaching profession. We leverage a unique dataset from … preferred teaching locations, actual teaching locations, and years in teaching for 7 years after entering the profession. By controlling for a detailed set of background, preference, and teaching assignment variables …Research shows that teachers seek out jobs close to home, but previous studies have been unable to test whether proximity to home is related to retention in the teaching profession. We leverage a unique dataset from Teach For America (TFA) linking individuals’ preferred teaching locations, actual teaching locations, and years in teaching for 7 years after entering the profession. By controlling… more →
Changing Patterns of Growth in Oral Reading Fluency During the COVID-19 Pandemic
… Education has faced unprecedented disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic; evidence about the subsequent effect on children is of crucial importance. We use data from an oral reading … especially for Grades 2–3, but distinct across spring and fall 2020. While many students were not assessed in …Education has faced unprecedented disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic; evidence about the subsequent effect on children is of crucial importance. We use data from an oral reading fluency (ORF) assessment—a rapid assessment taking only a few minutes that measures a fundamental reading skill—to examine COVID’s effects on children’s reading ability during the pandemic in more than 100 U.S.… more →
Educator Attention: How computational tools can systematically identify the distribution of a key resource for students
… across students remains poorly understood due to data and methodological constraints. This study presents the first large-scale computational analysis of educator attention patterns, leveraging over 1 million …Educator attention is critical for student success, yet how educators distribute their attention across students remains poorly understood due to data and methodological constraints. This study presents the first large-scale computational analysis of educator attention patterns, leveraging over 1 million educator utterances from virtual group tutoring sessions linked to detailed student… more →
The Effect of Merit-Based Free Community College
… college is often promoted as a way to expand access and reduce student debt, but may have unintended consequences … free community college program in Chicago called the Star Scholarship, we identify the impact of free community college on a distinct set of students: …Free community college is often promoted as a way to expand access and reduce student debt, but may have unintended consequences if it reduces bachelor’s degree completion for students diverted from better resourced four-year universities. By examining a meritbased free community college program in Chicago called the Star Scholarship, we identify the impact of free community college on a distinct… more →
Teaching Computational Thinking to Children in Head Start Classrooms: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial
… efforts to broaden participation in computer science and its related fields, there exist stark disparities in … children to computing concepts early, to provide them with the foundational skills needed to be successful in later … computing courses. This article reports on the results of a randomized controlled trial evaluation of a novel …Despite efforts to broaden participation in computer science and its related fields, there exist stark disparities in participation in computer related fields by gender, race/ethnicity, and socio-economic status. One approach to combat these disparities is to expose children to computing concepts early, to provide them with the foundational skills needed to be successful in later computing… more →
The Effects of Capped Piece-Rate Teacher Bonuses: Evidence from Advanced Placement
… a piece-rate for each student scoring 3 or higher on the standardized exam. Using student-course-level administrative data and exploiting both withinand across-teacher variation, I … the probability that an AP enrollment results in a score of 3 or higher by 2.4 percentage points. I further find no …I study a proficiency-based incentive program that rewards Advanced Placement (AP) teachers a piece-rate for each student scoring 3 or higher on the standardized exam. Using student-course-level administrative data and exploiting both withinand across-teacher variation, I find the program increased the probability that an AP enrollment results in a score of 3 or higher by 2.4 percentage points. I… more →
Closing the Gaps: An Examination of Early Impacts of Dallas ISD’s Opt-out Policy on Advanced Course Enrollment
… predict subsequent student success, but fewer Black and Hispanic students take advanced courses compared to their … decline. We use a synthetic control design to evaluate the impact of an optout policy in a large urban district in Texas on the …Advanced high school courses predict subsequent student success, but fewer Black and Hispanic students take advanced courses compared to their White peers. One strategy to increase advanced course enrollment is to use an “opt-out” approach, in which all students are enrolled in advanced courses unless they decline. We use a synthetic control design to evaluate the impact of an optout policy in a… more →
Who Leaves? How Job and Teacher Characteristics Relate to Turnover in Child Care Settings
… Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings rely on teachers to support … to turnover. Using data on a large sample (N = 14,373) of teachers employed at publicly funded child care centers in … for region. Results from within-site models were similar. The findings from this study inform policies to increase ECCE …Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings rely on teachers to support children’s development and families’ workforce participation. Yet ECCE teachers turn over at high rates, often twice as often as teachers in K-12 settings. Because large-scale ECCE workforce data are rare, little is known about how job and teacher characteristics relate to turnover. Using data on a large sample (N = 14… more →
Residential Segregation and Unequal Access to Local Public Services in India: Evidence from 1.5m Neighborhoods
… We study residential segregation and access to public services across 1.5 million urban and … and only slightly lower than Black-White segregation in the U.S. Within cities, public facilities and infrastructure … within cities at the most informal and least studied form of government. These inequalities are not visible in the …We study residential segregation and access to public services across 1.5 million urban and rural neighborhoods in India. Muslim and Scheduled Caste segregation in India is high by global standards, and only slightly lower than Black-White segregation in the U.S. Within cities, public facilities and infrastructure are systematically less available in Muslim and Scheduled Caste neighborhoods.… more →
Who Is Newly Absent? Racial Inequities in Post-Pandemic Transitions into Chronic and Severe Absence in Georgia
… Chronic absenteeism rose sharply following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has declined only modestly since, yet most evidence …Chronic absenteeism rose sharply following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has declined only modestly since, yet most evidence remains cross-sectional and cannot distinguish persistence from redistribution in absence behavior. Using a cohort transition framework, the analysis compares students' typical absence profiles across pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods. The results show… more →
Removing Barriers to College Credits: Where and for Whom AP Exam Fee Waivers Work
… access also foster success? We study this question in the context of North Carolina’s universal Advanced Placement (AP) exam … the policy’s effect on exam participation (access) and pass rates (success). We find that fee waivers …Do policies that broaden educational access also foster success? We study this question in the context of North Carolina’s universal Advanced Placement (AP) exam fee waiver policy. Using student-course level administrative data, we exploit within-student variation on a sample of students who took multiple AP courses to estimate the policy’s effect on exam participation (access) and pass rates (… more →
Implicit Gender-STEM Stereotypes and College Major Choice
… Implicit stereotypes about gender and STEM may unconsciously shape students' academic choices … gender-science Implicit Association Test (IAT) to a sample of primarily first-semester undergraduates, and link results … as salary and job flexibility, presence of female role models, and explicit beliefs about women in STEM and …Implicit stereotypes about gender and STEM may unconsciously shape students' academic choices and contribute to gender gaps in major choice, but there is limited economic evidence on this channel. To study this relationship, we administer a gender-science Implicit Association Test (IAT) to a sample of primarily first-semester undergraduates, and link results to original survey data and… more →