EdWorkingPapers
Bridging Literacy Gaps: The Impact of AI-Driven Personalised Learning on Reading Skills and Educational Equity
… educational attainment, limit labour market opportunities, and exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities. This paper evaluates the causal effect of an AI-driven Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL) program …Persistent literacy skills deficits hinder educational attainment, limit labour market opportunities, and exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities. This paper evaluates the causal effect of an AI-driven Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL) program implemented by the Government of Madrid, which features personalised, adaptive content and real-time feedback on students’ literacy proficiency. We leverage… more →
Toward a Comprehensive Model Predicting Credit Loss in Vertical Transfer
… A growing body of research has documented extensive credit loss among transfer students. However, the field lacks theoretically driven and empirically supported frameworks that can guide credit …A growing body of research has documented extensive credit loss among transfer students. However, the field lacks theoretically driven and empirically supported frameworks that can guide credit loss research and reforms. We develop and then test a comprehensive framework designed to address this gap using novel administrative credit loss data from Texas. Our results demonstrate how the likelihood… more →
Educational Spillover Effects of New English Learners in a New Destination State
… The number of English learners enrolled in public schools has grown substantially in the United … The growth is especially large in states in the South and Midwest that have not been traditional destinations for …The number of English learners enrolled in public schools has grown substantially in the United States over the past two decades. The growth is especially large in states in the South and Midwest that have not been traditional destinations for recent immigrants. In this study, we examine the effects of an influx of new English learners on students in receiving schools in Delaware, which is one of… more →
Affirmative Action and Its Race-Neutral Alternatives
… race-neutral alternatives like top percent policies and holistic review to increase enrollment among … admission, and enrollment effects using University of California administrative data. UC’s affirmative action … among very low-income students. These findings highlight the enrollment gaps between affirmative action and its most …As affirmative action loses political feasibility, many universities have implemented race-neutral alternatives like top percent policies and holistic review to increase enrollment among disadvantaged students. I study these policies’ application, admission, and enrollment effects using University of California administrative data. UC’s affirmative action and top percent policies increased… more →
A Bad Commute: Does Travel Time to Work Predict Teacher and Leader Turnover and Other Workplace Outcomes?
… employee turnover probabilities by increasing job stress and reducing job attachment and embeddedness. Using … commute times are more likely to transfer schools or exit the school system. We find that transfer probability increases roughly monotonically through most of the commute time distribution. Teachers who commute 45 …Research suggests that longer commute times can increase employee turnover probabilities by increasing job stress and reducing job attachment and embeddedness. Using administrative data from a midsized urban school district, we test whether teachers and school leaders with longer commute times are more likely to transfer schools or exit the school system. We find that transfer probability… more →
Dual Identification? The Effects of EL Status on SPED Placement in an Equity-Focused District
… This study examines the effects of English Learner (EL) status on subsequent Special … partnership, we link student demographic data and initial English proficiency assessment data across seven …This study examines the effects of English Learner (EL) status on subsequent Special Education (SPED) placement. Through a research-practice partnership, we link student demographic data and initial English proficiency assessment data across seven cohorts of test takers and observe EL and SPED programmatic participation for these students over seven years. Our regression discontinuity (RD)… more →
Predictors of Access to Advanced Learning: What Makes for a Successful School?
… A wide research base has documented the unequal access to and enrollment in K-12 gifted and talented services and other forms of advanced learning opportunities. This study extends that …A wide research base has documented the unequal access to and enrollment in K-12 gifted and talented services and other forms of advanced learning opportunities. This study extends that knowledge base by integrating multiple population-level datasets to better understand correlates of access to and enrollment in gifted and talented services, seventh-grade Algebra 1, and eighth-grade Geometry.… more →
Is Engaging Online Learning Possible? A Study of an Innovative National Virtual Summer Program
… We study an early effort amid the Covid-19 pandemic to develop new approaches to virtually serving students, supporting teachers, and promoting equity. This five-week, largely synchronous, … 4th-9thgraders. “Mentor teachers” provided PD and videos of themselves teaching daily lessons to “partner teachers” …We study an early effort amid the Covid-19 pandemic to develop new approaches to virtually serving students, supporting teachers, and promoting equity. This five-week, largely synchronous, summer program served 11,769 rising 4th-9thgraders. “Mentor teachers” provided PD and videos of themselves teaching daily lessons to “partner teachers” across the country. We interviewed a representative sample… more →
The Economic Impact of Access to Public Four-Year Colleges
… We provide the first estimated economic impacts of students’ access to an entire sector of public higher … students’ household income around age 30 by 20 percent, and has even larger impacts for those from low income high …We provide the first estimated economic impacts of students’ access to an entire sector of public higher education in the U.S. Approximately half of Georgia high school graduates who enroll in college do so in the state’s public four-year sector, which requires minimum SAT scores for admission. Regression discontinuity estimates show enrollment in public four-year institutions boosts students’… more →
School Sector and Satisfaction: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Sample
… Access to private schools and public charter schools might improve parent and student … and students. Using a nationally representative sample of 13,436 students in the United States in 2016, I find that public charter schools …Access to private schools and public charter schools might improve parent and student satisfaction through competitive pressures and improved matches between educators and students. Using a nationally representative sample of 13,436 students in the United States in 2016, I find that public charter schools and private schools outperform traditional public schools on six measures of parent and… more →
Remote Learning in 2020-21 and Student Attendance Since the COVID-19 Pandemic
… Student attendance declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains lower than pre-pandemic levels. This study examines the role of remote learning in these post-pandemic declines in student …Student attendance declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains lower than pre-pandemic levels. This study examines the role of remote learning in these post-pandemic declines in student attendance. I find that remote learning in 2020-21 led to persistent declines in post-pandemic attendance, with generally larger negative effects for students exposed to longer periods of remote learning,… more →
Childhood Interventions and Life Course Development
… theory does not provide a straightforward explanation. The fadeout-emergence paradox spotlights our limited understanding of how early skill gains shape long-run developmental … examined the longitudinal impacts of educational and developmental randomized controlled trials that measured …A paradox has perplexed researchers studying childhood interventions: although program impacts on children’s skills often fade, some interventions have nonetheless produced long-run impacts on adult outcomes. Existing developmental theory does not provide a straightforward explanation. The fadeout-emergence paradox spotlights our limited understanding of how early skill gains shape long-run… more →
Resegregated Schools, Racial Attitudes, and Long-Run Partisanship: Evidence for White Backlash
… Brown v. Board (1954) catalyzed a nationwide effort by the federal judiciary to desegregate public schools by court … homogeneity to rise. I leverage this exogenous source of variation in the racial mix of schools released from court orders between 1990 and 2014 to explore two key aspects of how whites react to …Brown v. Board (1954) catalyzed a nationwide effort by the federal judiciary to desegregate public schools by court order, representing a major achievement for the U.S. civil rights movement. Four decades later, courts began dismissing schools from desegregation decrees in a staggered fashion, causing their racial homogeneity to rise. I leverage this exogenous source of variation in the racial… more →
The Impacts of Grade Retention Policy With Minimal Retention
… retention for struggling readers are widespread in the U.S., covering 34% of public-school third graders in 2023-24. This study … third-grade reading law on subsequent test scores and school progress outcomes for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 …State laws that mandate in-grade retention for struggling readers are widespread in the U.S., covering 34% of public-school third graders in 2023-24. This study investigates the impacts of Michigan’s third-grade reading law on subsequent test scores and school progress outcomes for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 third-grade cohorts. Using a regression discontinuity (RD) design, we find that being… more →
Are Rural Republicans Different When It Comes to Public Opinion on Education Policy?
… Conservative education policy in the United States increasingly emphasizes school choice, decentralization, and parental authority. This chapter examines whether these … contexts, focusing specifically on rural Republicans. Using data from the 2015–2022 Education Next surveys, we find …Conservative education policy in the United States increasingly emphasizes school choice, decentralization, and parental authority. This chapter examines whether these priorities resonate equally across geographic contexts, focusing specifically on rural Republicans. Using data from the 2015–2022 Education Next surveys, we find that while partisanship strongly structures education attitudes,… more →
Teacher-student relationships and adult outcomes: Developmental cascades via childhood executive function and behavioral dysregulation
… to test associations between teacher-student relationships and adult outcomes, as well as mechanisms underlying these associations. Results from the NICHD-SECCYD (N=1364; 52% male; 76% White; 13% Black; 6% … in the U.S. beginning in 1991) revealed a complex set of findings. First, teacher-student conflict and closeness …Longitudinal data were examined to test associations between teacher-student relationships and adult outcomes, as well as mechanisms underlying these associations. Results from the NICHD-SECCYD (N=1364; 52% male; 76% White; 13% Black; 6% Hispanic; 5% other; data collection took place in the U.S. beginning in 1991) revealed a complex set of findings. First, teacher-student conflict and closeness… more →
Predicting Persistence and Fadeout Across Multi-Site RCTs of an Early Childhood Mathematics Curriculum Intervention
… This study examined predictors of persistence and fadeout across multiple cluster RCTs that … (i.e., endline) and one-year follow-up. We found that the magnitude of the impact at post-test was a strong …This study examined predictors of persistence and fadeout across multiple cluster RCTs that evaluated a preschool mathematics curriculum. We used meta-analytic methods to explore how impacts on student mathematics achievement faded between post-test (i.e., endline) and one-year follow-up. We found that the magnitude of the impact at post-test was a strong predictor of the one-year follow-up… more →
The Long-Term Effects of Rank in Elementary School
… We estimate the long-term consequences of math and reading rank within an elementary school on short …We estimate the long-term consequences of math and reading rank within an elementary school on short and long-term outcomes. We find that higher rank leads to better outcomes. Students ranked at the top in grade 7 perform up to 0.33 standard deviations higher on future school exams, are more likely to graduate high school and university, and earn significantly more at age 28. Math rank is… more →
Staff and Faculty Unionizations in Higher Education, 2007-2023
… Labor organizing efforts grew following the Covid-19 pandemic in American higher education … brief examines unionization trends at private colleges and universities from 2007 through 2023, revealing staff as … and university employees. A disproportionate number of elections occurred in a handful of union-friendly states …Labor organizing efforts grew following the Covid-19 pandemic in American higher education institutions. This research brief examines unionization trends at private colleges and universities from 2007 through 2023, revealing staff as the main force behind unionization attempts, followed by contingent faculty. SEIU plays a significant role in representing college and university employees. A… more →
Does Early Childhood Education mitigate the birthdate effect? A regression discontinuity analysis of administrative data
… This article examines the impact of within-class age differences on educational outcomes, … older students achieve higher scores in both Language and Mathematics and have lower grade retention rates. …This article examines the impact of within-class age differences on educational outcomes, using students' birth months in Madrid's primary schools as a natural experiment. Employing a regression discontinuity design, we analyze third-grade students to investigate these age-related effects. Additionally, we explore whether early childhood education attendance works as a mitigating factor. Results… more →
Disability as Discipline? Effects of the New York City Suspension Ban on Identification of Students with Disabilities
… Across the United States, suspension bans have become a popular policy response to address excessive and inequitable use of suspension in schools. However, there is little research …Across the United States, suspension bans have become a popular policy response to address excessive and inequitable use of suspension in schools. However, there is little research that examines what strategies school staff employ when suspension is no longer permitted. I examine the effect of New York City’s suspension ban on the use of a potential unintended substitute for suspension: special… more →
Paying for School Finance Reforms: How States Raise Revenues to Fund Increases in Elementary-Secondary Education Expenditures
… This study investigates how individual states raise revenue to pay for elementary-secondary education spending following … finance reforms (SFRs). We identify states that increased and sustained education expenditures after reform, search for … education spending, and assess how policymakers funded the SFRs. Our results show that state legislatures increase …This study investigates how individual states raise revenue to pay for elementary-secondary education spending following school finance reforms (SFRs). We identify states that increased and sustained education expenditures after reform, search for legislative statutes that appropriated more education spending, and assess how policymakers funded the SFRs. Our results show that state legislatures… more →
Parsing Coaching Practice: A Systematic Framework for Describing Coaching Discourse
… Despite the common title of “coach,” definitions of high-quality coaching vary tremendously across models and programs. Yet, few studies make comparisons across … In doing so, this taxonomy may serve as a common language to guide future work exploring how coach discourse …Despite the common title of “coach,” definitions of high-quality coaching vary tremendously across models and programs. Yet, few studies make comparisons across different models to understand what is most helpful, for whom, and under what circumstances. As a result, practitioners are left with many options and little evidence-based direction. This is exacerbated by the literature’s focus on more… more →
Latent Classes of Teacher Working Conditions in Virginia: Description, Teacher Preferences, and Contextual Factors
… Many dimensions of teacher working conditions influence both teacher and student outcomes; yet, analyses of schools’ overall … conditions are challenged by high correlations among the dimensions. Our study overcame this challenge by applying …Many dimensions of teacher working conditions influence both teacher and student outcomes; yet, analyses of schools’ overall working conditions are challenged by high correlations among the dimensions. Our study overcame this challenge by applying latent profile analysis of Virginia teachers’ perceptions of school leadership, instructional agency, professional growth opportunities, rigorous… more →
The Causal Impact of Charter Schools on Private Tutoring Prevalence
… studies, but this has not been explicitly tested for the U.S. context. To estimate the causal effect of charter school appearances on neighboring private tutoring … areas with the highest income, educational attainment, and proportion Asian show the greatest treatment impacts, …Greater school choice leads to lower demand for private tutoring according to various international studies, but this has not been explicitly tested for the U.S. context. To estimate the causal effect of charter school appearances on neighboring private tutoring prevalence, we employ a comparative event study model combined with a longitudinal matching strategy to accommodate differing treatment… more →
Forging a path to college persistence: An experimental evaluation of the Detroit Promise Path program
… overcome many obstacles to do so. This paper reports the results of a randomized evaluation of a program meant to provide … providing students with coaching, summer engagement, and financial incentives. The evaluation found that students …Detroit students who obtain a college degree overcome many obstacles to do so. This paper reports the results of a randomized evaluation of a program meant to provide support to low-income community college students. The Detroit Promise Path (DPP) program was designed to complement an existing College Promise scholarship, providing students with coaching, summer engagement, and financial… more →
Human versus Machine: Do college advisors outperform a machine-learning algorithm in predicting student enrollment?
… algorithms are used across public policy domains to aid in the identification of at-risk individuals and guide service provision or resource allocation. While …Prediction algorithms are used across public policy domains to aid in the identification of at-risk individuals and guide service provision or resource allocation. While growing research has investigated concerns of algorithmic bias, much less research has compared algorithmically-driven targeting to the counterfactual: human prediction. We compare algorithmic and human predictions in the context… more →
Using Predicted Academic Performance to Identify At-Risk Students in Public Schools
… Measures of student disadvantage—or risk—are critical components of equity-focused education policies. However, the risk measures used in contemporary policies have significant limitations, and despite continued advances in data infrastructure and …Measures of student disadvantage—or risk—are critical components of equity-focused education policies. However, the risk measures used in contemporary policies have significant limitations, and despite continued advances in data infrastructure and analytic capacity, there has been little innovation in these measures for decades. We develop a new measure of student risk for use in education… more →
Negative Impacts From the Shift to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Crisis: Evidence from a Statewide Community College System
… The COVID-19 pandemic led to an abrupt shift from in-person … started their Spring 2020 courses in person or online and another that incorporates student fixed effects. We estimate the impact of this shift on the academic performance of Virginia’s …The COVID-19 pandemic led to an abrupt shift from in-person to virtual instruction in Spring 2020. We use two complementary difference-in differences frameworks, one that leverages within-instructor-by-course variation on whether students started their Spring 2020 courses in person or online and another that incorporates student fixed effects. We estimate the impact of this shift on the academic… more →
The Role of Student Beliefs in Dual-Enrollment Courses
… such as academic self-efficacy, educational expectations, and sense of college belonging. These beliefs may also shape students' … a large dual-enrollment program created by a university in the Southwest to examine these patterns. We find that …Dual-enrollment courses are theorized to promote students' preparedness for college in part by bolstering their beneficial beliefs, such as academic self-efficacy, educational expectations, and sense of college belonging. These beliefs may also shape students' experiences and outcomes in dual-enrollment courses, yet few if any studies have examined this possibility. We study a large dual-… more →
Rent-Seeking through Collective Bargaining: Teachers Unions and Education Production
… new tax revenue amidst collective bargaining negotiations and districts allocating tax revenue well before. Districts … districts facing less pressure hire more teachers (instead of increasing compensation) and realize significant student … gains. We interpret these results as causal evidence of the negative impact of teacher rent seeking on education …We explore how teachers unions affect education production by comparing outcomes between districts allocating new tax revenue amidst collective bargaining negotiations and districts allocating tax revenue well before. Districts facing union pressure increase teacher salaries and benefits, spend down reserves, and experience no student achievement gains. Conversely, districts facing less pressure… more →
Bias in the Air: A Nationwide Exploration of Teachers' Implicit Racial Attitudes, Aggregate Bias, and Student Outcomes
… lack large-scale evidence on US teachers’ implicit biases and their correlates. Using nationwide data from Project … that teachers’ implicit White/Black biases (as measured by the implicit association test) vary by teacher gender and … bias levels are lower in counties with larger shares of Black students. In the aggregate, counties in which …Theory suggests that teachers’ implicit racial attitudes affect their students, but we lack large-scale evidence on US teachers’ implicit biases and their correlates. Using nationwide data from Project Implicit, we find that teachers’ implicit White/Black biases (as measured by the implicit association test) vary by teacher gender and race. Teachers’ adjusted bias levels are lower in counties… more →
Local Democracy Matters: How Deliberative Culture Shapes Public Evaluations of Local Government and Local Government Performance
… Is there democratic accountability to the public at the local level, and if so, how does it work? We know that a major part of democratic ability depends on citizens being able to …Is there democratic accountability to the public at the local level, and if so, how does it work? We know that a major part of democratic ability depends on citizens being able to properly evaluate government based on government performance, particularly at the local level. However, we know much less about all of the potential pathways to get from performance to evaluations and vice versa. This… more →
Helping Parents Navigate the Early Childhood Enrollment Process: Experimental Evidence from New Orleans
… The early childhood enrollment process involves search ing … ing , verify ing eligibility (for publicly funded seats) , and enroll ing . Many families do not complete the process . … verification rates by seven percentage points ( regardless of tone ), and personalized messages increased enrollment …The early childhood enrollment process involves searching for programs, applying, verifying eligibility(for publicly funded seats), and enrolling. Many families do not complete the process. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess strategies for communicating with families as they verify eligibility. Working with administrators in New Orleans, we randomly assigned families to receive… more →
School Finance Reforms, Teachers’ Unions, and the Allocation of School Resources
… School finance reforms caused some of the most dramatic increases in intergovernmental aid from … state aid that passed through to local spending and the allocation of these funds. Districts with strong …School finance reforms caused some of the most dramatic increases in intergovernmental aid from states to local governments in U.S. history. We examine whether teachers’ unions affected the fraction of reform-induced state aid that passed through to local spending and the allocation of these funds. Districts with strong teachers’ unions increased spending nearly dollar-for-dollar with state aid,… more →
Trends in Local Teacher Supply Since the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Teacher Job Applications
… pandemic-era challenges in filling teacher vacancies and hiring from too-small applicant pools. However, direct … evidence quantifying changes in teacher supply since the onset of the pandemic is scarce. Using longitudinal teacher job …Recent survey evidence documents pandemic-era challenges in filling teacher vacancies and hiring from too-small applicant pools. However, direct evidence quantifying changes in teacher supply since the onset of the pandemic is scarce. Using longitudinal teacher job application data from a large southeastern school district, we examine trends in local teacher supply from 2015 to 2023. We find… more →
Hmong but not Asian, Sāmoan but not Pacific Islander: Tracing the ECLS-K Racial Data (Mis)Classification Journey
… Race is a socially and politically charged concept that remains contested in the United States. We examine racial data (mis)classification … (ECLS-K) dataset. Centering the racial data journey of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander …Race is a socially and politically charged concept that remains contested in the United States. We examine racial data (mis)classification in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS-K) dataset. Centering the racial data journey of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) students, we find two types of racial data (mis)classification: (1) racial reformation… more →
Examining the Role of Policy Instruments in Supporting Public HBCUs’ College Affordability
… a multiple-case qualitative research design to examine the fiscal policy instruments that members of State Legislative Black Caucuses (SLBC) use to strengthen college affordability and broaden access for undergraduate low-income Black …This study uses a multiple-case qualitative research design to examine the fiscal policy instruments that members of State Legislative Black Caucuses (SLBC) use to strengthen college affordability and broaden access for undergraduate low-income Black students attending public HBCUs. Guided by the Policy Design Theory, this study analyzes nine semi-structured interviews and eleven legislative… more →
Measuring Conflict in Local Politics
… Many of the most tangible and immediate political conflicts in … of local political conflict. We validate this new approach using sentiment analysis and structural topic modeling. We …Many of the most tangible and immediate political conflicts in Americans’ lives occur at the local level. Yet, we lack large-scale evidence on how, why, and where conflict occurs in local governments. In this paper, we present a new dataset of nearly 100,000 videos of school board meetings, and use them to create a new measure of local political conflict. We validate this new approach using… more →
The Achievement Effects of Scaling Early Literacy Reforms
… While legislators have implemented many “science of reading” initiatives in the last two decades, the evidence on the impact of these … of reading as well as aligned supports (e.g., assessments and interventions), new funding (about $1000 per student), …While legislators have implemented many “science of reading” initiatives in the last two decades, the evidence on the impact of these reforms at scale is limited. In this pre-registered, quasi-experimental study, we examine California’s recent initiative to improve early literacy across the state’s lowest-performing schools. The Early Literacy Support Block Grant (ELSBG) provided teacher… more →
Are Preschool Programs Becoming Less Effective?
… are heralded as an effective policy tool to promote the development and life-long wellbeing of children from low-income families. Yet evaluations of …High-quality preschool programs are heralded as an effective policy tool to promote the development and life-long wellbeing of children from low-income families. Yet evaluations of recent preschool programs produce puzzling findings, including negative impacts, and divergent, weaker results than were shown in demonstration programs implemented in the 1960s and 70s. We provide potential… more →
Diversity Trends Among Faculty in STEM and non-STEM Fields at Selective Public Universities in the U.S. from 2016 to 2023
… During the 2015-16 academic year, racial protests swept across … trends. We document diversity trends among faculty in STEM and non-STEM fields since the protests in 2015-16. We find … gaps, especially among Black faculty. A large body of prior research suggests these trends will affect students’ …During the 2015-16 academic year, racial protests swept across college campuses in the U.S. These protests were followed by large university investments in initiatives to promote diversity, which combined with existing diversity dynamics, have helped to shape recent faculty diversity trends. We document diversity trends among faculty in STEM and non-STEM fields since the protests in 2015-16. We… more →
Priceless Benefits: Effects of School Spending on Child Mortality
… The academic and economic benefits of school spending are well-established, but focusing on … district tax elections and negative binomial regression models to estimate effects of a quasi-random increase in …The academic and economic benefits of school spending are well-established, but focusing on these outcomes may underestimate the full social benefits of school spending. Recent increases in U.S. child mortality are driven by injuries and raise questions about what types of social investments could reduce child deaths. We use close school district tax elections and negative binomial regression… more →
The Peer Effect of Persistence on Student Achievement
… Little is known about the impact of peer personality on human capital formation. The paper … trait reflecting perseverance in the face of challenges and setbacks, on student achievement. Exploiting …Little is known about the impact of peer personality on human capital formation. The paper studies the impact of peers’ persistence, a personality trait reflecting perseverance in the face of challenges and setbacks, on student achievement. Exploiting student-classroom random assignments in middle schools in China, I find that having more persistent peers improves student achievement. I identify… more →
An Improved Method for Estimating School-Level Characteristics from Census Data
… location to impute its catchment area by aggregating the nearest n census block groups such that the number of school-aged children in those n block groups is just over … robustness checks to assess the quality of our estimates and find that our method is broadly successful in replicating …We propose a new method for estimating school-level characteristics from publicly available census data. We use a school’s location to impute its catchment area by aggregating the nearest n census block groups such that the number of school-aged children in those n block groups is just over the number of students enrolled in that school. We then weight census data by the number of school-aged… more →
Sibling Spillovers May Enhance the Efficacy of Targeted School Policies
… often target individuals but within-family externalities of such interventions are understudied. Using a regression … document how a third grade retention policy affects both the target children and their younger siblings. The policy improves test scores …Public policies often target individuals but within-family externalities of such interventions are understudied. Using a regression discontinuity design, we document how a third grade retention policy affects both the target children and their younger siblings. The policy improves test scores of both children while the spillover is up to 30% of the target child effect size. The effects are… more →
Are Four-Year Public Colleges Engines for Economic Mobility? Evidence from Statewide Admissions Thresholds
… by providing an accessible path to a bachelor’s degree and increasing students' earnings. Leveraging a midsize … state’s GPA- and SAT-based admissions thresholds for the four-year public sector, I use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effect of four-year public college admissions on earnings and …Four-year public colleges may play an important role in supporting intergenerational mobility by providing an accessible path to a bachelor’s degree and increasing students' earnings. Leveraging a midsize state’s GPA- and SAT-based admissions thresholds for the four-year public sector, I use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effect of four-year public college admissions on… more →
Advancing a Framework of Racialized Administrative Burdens in Higher Education Policy
… in higher education are intended to improve college access and degree completion, yet often those policies fall short of their aims by making it difficult for prospective or … especially those who are racially minoritized. With the use of our proposed framework, researchers can improve …Many policies in higher education are intended to improve college access and degree completion, yet often those policies fall short of their aims by making it difficult for prospective or current college students to access benefits for which they are eligible. Barriers that inhibit access to policy benefits, such as cumbersome paperwork, can weigh more heavily on members of marginalized… more →
Holding Back to Move Forward: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade on Student Outcomes
… We evaluate the effects of grade retention on students’ academic, attendance, and disciplinary outcomes in Indiana. Using a regression …We evaluate the effects of grade retention on students’ academic, attendance, and disciplinary outcomes in Indiana. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that third grade retention increases achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) and math immediately and substantially, and the effects persist into middle school. We find no evidence of grade retention effects on student attendance… more →
Are Students Time Constrained? Course Load, GPA, and Failing
… Given the simultaneous rise in time-to-graduation and college GPA, it may be that students reduce their course … schedules with additional training courses. Using 19 years of administrative data, we provide the first causal evidence …Given the simultaneous rise in time-to-graduation and college GPA, it may be that students reduce their course load to improve their performance. Yet, evidence to date only shows increased course loads increase GPA. We provide a mathematical model showing many unobservable factors -- beyond student ability -- can generate a positive relationship between course load and GPA unless researchers… more →