EdWorkingPapers
Shock Absorption: Did School Turnaround Shelter Schools from the Pandemic’s Effects on Teacher Turnover?
… it can help schools withstand negative shocks. We examine the impact of Michigan’s turnaround policy on teacher turnover before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Event study findings show …Successful turnaround interventions should build school capacity to promote not just school improvement but also resilience to exogenous shocks that undermine schooling. While a large literature demonstrates that turnaround can improve school outcomes, little is known about whether it can help schools withstand negative shocks. We examine the impact of Michigan’s turnaround policy on teacher… more →
Facilitating Evidence-Based Instructional Coaching With Automated Feedback on Teacher Discourse
… evidence, yet it is labor-intensive for coaches to obtain and curate such evidence. This study explores possibilities … affordances/limitations they anticipated, how they used the tool, and how they perceived it after initial use. We … and recorded 41 coaching conversations made by nine of those coaches. Our analyses suggest that coaches used …Instructional coaching often aims to ground teacher professional learning in classroom evidence, yet it is labor-intensive for coaches to obtain and curate such evidence. This study explores possibilities for utilizing an automated feedback tool to support evidence-based reasoning in coaching. We examined how mathematics coaches employed automated feedback within coaching, asking what… more →
Causal Returns to Education
… this paper compares ordinary least squares (OLS) and instrumental variables (IV) estimates of the private returns to schooling. IV returns average 9.7 …Using 182 estimates from 140 studies in 55 countries, this paper compares ordinary least squares (OLS) and instrumental variables (IV) estimates of the private returns to schooling. IV returns average 9.7 percent—38 percent higher than OLS—and exceed OLS in nearly 80 percent of cases, with the largest gaps in developing countries. These patterns align with theories of diminishing marginal… more →
Measuring “Noncognitive” Skills at Scale: Building Longitudinal Student Behavior Composites Using Administrative Data
… especially student behavior, are critical predictors of academic and life outcomes. However, measuring student behavior at … of students followed from kindergarten to eighth grade in the Boston Public Schools (N=12,232) to examine trade-offs …“Noncognitive” skills, especially student behavior, are critical predictors of academic and life outcomes. However, measuring student behavior at scale remains challenging, particularly for longitudinal research. This study uses a demographically diverse sample of students followed from kindergarten to eighth grade in the Boston Public Schools (N=12,232) to examine trade-offs between two… more →
The Politics of Commencement Speakers: Organizational Contexts of Speech on College Campuses, 1989–2024
… Conflicts over the politics of speech have been a persistent challenge in U.S. higher … commencement speakers at 52 universities between 1989 and 2024. Findings indicate a rise in liberal speakers, …Conflicts over the politics of speech have been a persistent challenge in U.S. higher education. Public narratives portray universities as antagonistic toward conservative speakers, yet empirical evidence remains limited. To address this gap, we analyze the political orientations of 1,875 commencement speakers at 52 universities between 1989 and 2024. Findings indicate a rise in liberal… more →
Switching Schools: Effects of College Transfers
… Over one-third of college students in the United States transfer between … known about how transferring affects students’ educational and labor market outcomes. Using administrative data from …Over one-third of college students in the United States transfer between institutions, yet little is known about how transferring affects students’ educational and labor market outcomes. Using administrative data from Texas and a regression discontinuity design, I study the effects of a student’s transferring to a four-year college from either a two-year or four-year college. To do so, I… more →
A Scalable Approach to High-Impact Tutoring for Young Readers: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
… This paper presents the results from a randomized controlled trial of Chapter One, an early elementary reading tutoring program … a large Southeastern district serving predominantly Black and Hispanic students. Students assigned to the program were …This paper presents the results from a randomized controlled trial of Chapter One, an early elementary reading tutoring program that embeds part-time tutors into the classroom to provide short bursts of 1:1 instruction. Eligible kindergarten students were randomly assigned to receive supplementary tutoring during the 2021-22 school year (N=818). The study occurred in a large Southeastern… more →
Do Pensions Enhance Worker Effort and Selection? Evidence from Public Schools
… rationales, namely that pensions may improve worker effort and worker selection . We examine these hypotheses using administrative measures on effort and output in public schools around the pension-eligibility notch. When workers cross the notch …Why do employers offer pensions? We empirically explore two theoretical rationales, namely that pensions may improve worker effort and worker selection. We examine these hypotheses using administrative measures on effort and output in public schools around the pension-eligibility notch. When workers cross the notch their effective compensation falls significantly, but we… more →
Employee evaluation and skill investments: Evidence from public school teachers
… When employees expect evaluation and performance incentives will continue (or begin) in the future, the potential future rewards create an incentive … today. Because skills benefit job performance, the effects of evaluation can persist after the rewards end or even …When employees expect evaluation and performance incentives will continue (or begin) in the future, the potential future rewards create an incentive to invest in relevant skills today. Because skills benefit job performance, the effects of evaluation can persist after the rewards end or even anticipate the start of rewards. I provide empirical evidence of these dynamics from a quasi-experiment… more →
Do Financial Incentives Increase the Impact of National-Scale Educational Programs? Experimental Evidence from a National College Advising Initiative
… Recent work highlights the challenge of scaling evidence-based educational programs. We report on … college advisors; applications to well-matched colleges and universities; and review of financial aid awards. Yet …Recent work highlights the challenge of scaling evidence-based educational programs. We report on a randomized controlled trial of a financial incentive program designed to increase the efficacy of a national remote college advising initiative for high-achieving students. We find substantial positive effects of the program on student engagement with college advisors; applications to well-… more →
The Notorious SBG: Administrators’ Perceptions of Standards-Based Grading Practices
… administrators' survey responses using OLS regressions, and identifies themes through in-vivo coding of qualitative feedback. Results show more SBG support among … and grading alignment. These findings underscore the influence of principals' beliefs on SBG support and …This mixed-methods study synthesizes Standards-Based Grading (SBG) literature, analyzes 249 Arkansas administrators' survey responses using OLS regressions, and identifies themes through in-vivo coding of qualitative feedback. Results show more SBG support among liberal, elementary-level administrators in larger, economically diverse districts. Qualitative insights highlight structural… more →
How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Influence School Board Elections?
… suggest that parent frustration with COVID school policies and the growing politicization of education have increased community engagement with local …Media reports suggest that parent frustration with COVID school policies and the growing politicization of education have increased community engagement with local public schools. However, there is no evidence to date on whether these factors have translated into greater engagement at the ballot box. This paper uses a novel data set to explore how school board elections changed following the… more →
COVID-19, School Closures, and Student Learning Outcomes: New Global Evidence from PISA
… The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruption in … data to estimate learning losses. It models the effect of school closures on achievement by predicting the deviation … that faced relatively longer closures, boys, immigrants, and disadvantaged students. Educational losses may translate …The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruption in schooling worldwide. This paper uses global test score data to estimate learning losses. It models the effect of school closures on achievement by predicting the deviation of the most recent results from a linear trend using data from all rounds of the Programme for International Student Assessment. Scores declined by an average of 14… more →
Rethinking Principal Effects on Student Outcomes
… measuring principals’ contributions to student outcomes and apply it empirically using data from Tennessee, New York … exert minimal control, leading to biased estimates of individual principals’ effectiveness and an overstatement of the magnitude of principal effects. Based on our framework, …School principals are viewed as critical actors to improve student outcomes, but there remain important methodological questions about how to measure principals’ effects. We propose a framework for measuring principals’ contributions to student outcomes and apply it empirically using data from Tennessee, New York City, and Oregon. As commonly implemented, value-added models misattribute to… more →
Toward An Economic Reformulation of Public Pension Funding Policy
… We propose an economic reformulation of contribution policy integrating: (1) formalization of sustainability as the steady-state contribution rate, incorporating both the expected return on risky assets and a low-risk discount rate for liabilities; (2) derivation …We propose an economic reformulation of contribution policy integrating: (1) formalization of sustainability as the steady-state contribution rate, incorporating both the expected return on risky assets and a low-risk discount rate for liabilities; (2) derivation of contribution adjustment policies required for convergence toward the target funded ratio and contribution rate; and (3) a… more →
Revolving School Doors? A Longitudinal Examination of Teacher, Administrator and Staff Contributions to School Churn
… Non-teaching staff comprise over half of all school employees and their turnover may be consequential for school operation, … staff turnover conversations, they are consistently the most stable employee group. Some school factors, like the …Non-teaching staff comprise over half of all school employees and their turnover may be consequential for school operation, culture, and student success, yet we lack evidence documenting their attrition. We use 11 years of administrative data from Oregon to examine mobility and exit among teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and other staff. Although teachers dominate staff turnover… more →
Study More Tomorrow
… contract for college students, "Study More Tomorrow," and conduct a randomized control trial testing a model of its demand. The contract commits students to attend peer tutoring if …We design a commitment contract for college students, "Study More Tomorrow," and conduct a randomized control trial testing a model of its demand. The contract commits students to attend peer tutoring if their midterm grade falls below a pre-specified threshold. The contract carries a financial penalty for noncompliance, in contrast to other commitment devices for studying tested in the… more →
Fiscal Federalism and K-12 Education Funding: Policy Lessons from Two Educational Crises
… We synthesize and critique federal fiscal policy during the Great Recession and Covid-19 pandemic. First, the amount of aid during both crises was inadequate to meet policy …We synthesize and critique federal fiscal policy during the Great Recession and Covid-19 pandemic. First, the amount of aid during both crises was inadequate to meet policy goals. Second, the mechanisms used to distribute funds was disconnected from policy goals and provided different levels of aid to districts with equivalent levels of economic disadvantage. Third, data tools are missing… more →
The Bottom Line on College Advising: Large Increases in Degree Attainment
… multi-site randomized control trial with administrative and survey data to demonstrate that intensive advising during … these increases are driven primarily by improvements in the quality of initial enrollment. Program effects are consistent across …We combine a large multi-site randomized control trial with administrative and survey data to demonstrate that intensive advising during high school and college leads to large increases in bachelor's degree attainment. Novel causal forest methods suggest that these increases are driven primarily by improvements in the quality of initial enrollment. Program effects are consistent across sites,… more →
Inequality in Public School Spending Across Space and Time
… series perspective on K-12 school spending. About half of school spending is financed by state government aid to … districts. We show that temporal inequality, due to state and local business cycles, is prevalent across the income distribution. We estimate a model of local revenue …This paper takes a novel time series perspective on K-12 school spending. About half of school spending is financed by state government aid to local districts. Because state aid is generally income conditioned, with low-income districts receiving more aid, state aid acts as a mechanism for risk sharing between school districts. We show that temporal inequality, due to state and local business… more →
The effects of default choice on student loan borrowing: Experimental evidence from a public research university
… We explore the role of defaults and choice architecture on student loan … pre-populating either decline or accept decisions compared to an active choice, no pre-population, decision. We …We explore the role of defaults and choice architecture on student loan decision-making, experimentally testing the impact pre-populating either decline or accept decisions compared to an active choice, no pre-population, decision. We demonstrate that the default choice presented does influence student loan borrowing decisions. Specifically, compared to active choice, students presented within… more →
Getting Tough? The Effects of Discretionary Principal Discipline on Student Outcomes
… wide discretion to use disciplinary tools like suspension and expulsion to create a safe learning environment. There is … power can have negative consequences, particularly for the students who are excluded. This study uses linked … from 2008 to 2016 in North Carolina to examine the impact of principal driven disciplinary decisions on middle school …Nationwide, school principals are given wide discretion to use disciplinary tools like suspension and expulsion to create a safe learning environment. There is legitimate concern that this power can have negative consequences, particularly for the students who are excluded. This study uses linked disciplinary, education, and criminal justice records from 2008 to 2016 in North Carolina to… more →
Informing school-choosing families about their options: A field experiment from New Orleans
… options. We conducted a randomized controlled trial during the school choice application period in New Orleans to assess the effects of providing information to parents. Families with children … schools or programs available (via U.S. mail, email, and text message). A “neighborhood” group received lists of …In order for school choice reforms to fulfill their potential, school choosers must be informed about their options. We conducted a randomized controlled trial during the school choice application period in New Orleans to assess the effects of providing information to parents. Families with children entering pre-K, kindergarten, or ninth grade were assigned to one of two treatment groups or a… more →
Experimentally Estimated Impacts of School Voucher on Educational Attainments of Moderately and Severely Disadvantaged Students
… Estimates of school voucher impacts on educational attainment have yet … students. We theorize reasons for these heterogeneities and then estimate experimentally the differential impacts of voucher offers on college …Estimates of school voucher impacts on educational attainment have yet to explore heterogeneities in socioeconomic status among disadvantaged minority students. We theorize reasons for these heterogeneities and then estimate experimentally the differential impacts of voucher offers on college enrollment and graduation rates for minority and non-immigrant students from moderately and severely… more →
Schools Never Die: Toward a Dynamic Systems Theory of School Closure
… Educational researchers and policymakers typically treat school closures as discrete … as adaptive ecosystems embedded within broader networks of relations that span social, cultural, political, and … policy and research by grounding school closures in the reality that schools are embedded within and comprised of …Educational researchers and policymakers typically treat school closures as discrete administrative decisions with clear endpoints. This paper challenges that assumption by applying Dynamic Systems Theory to school closure policy and research. We argue that schools function as adaptive ecosystems embedded within broader networks of relations that span social, cultural, political, and economic… more →
When Do Informational Interventions Work? Experimental Evidence from New York City High School Choice
… This paper reports the results of a large, school-level randomized controlled trial … differed in their level of customization to the student and their mode of delivery (paper or online); all treated …This paper reports the results of a large, school-level randomized controlled trial evaluating a set of three informational interventions for young people choosing high schools in 473 middle schools, serving over 115,000 8th graders. The interventions differed in their level of customization to the student and their mode of delivery (paper or online); all treated schools received identical… more →
Teaching Practices and the Persistence of School-Entry Age Effects
… We consider the effect of teaching practices on the persistence of school-entry age … the same cohort of students when they were in elementary and secondary school. Then, we test whether school-entry age …We consider the effect of teaching practices on the persistence of school-entry age effects caused by rigid cutoff dates for school eligibility in Spain. We document significant school-entry age effects for the same cohort of students when they were in elementary and secondary school. Then, we test whether school-entry age effects at age 15 are lower for those students who were more frequently… more →
Peer Effects of International Students in U.S. Higher Education
… This study addresses an underexplored aspect of diversity at four-year research universities: the impact of international students on their domestic peers. … on domestic students' course performance, persistence, and degree completion. Leveraging variations in international …This study addresses an underexplored aspect of diversity at four-year research universities: the impact of international students on their domestic peers. I explore the peer effects of international students, assessing how their presence influences domestic students' academic outcomes. Using the classroom setting as a natural experimental framework, I estimate the impact of exposure to… more →
Inequality Beyond Standardized Tests: Trends in Extracurricular Activity Reporting in College Applications Across Race and Class
… is known about inequality in non-standardized components of applications. We analyzed extracurricular activity … descriptions in 6,054,104 applications submitted through the Common Application using natural language processing … methods. Overall, White, Asian American, wealthier, and private school students reported more activities, …For years, discussions on inequality in college admissions have addressed standardized tests, but less is known about inequality in non-standardized components of applications. We analyzed extracurricular activity descriptions in 6,054,104 applications submitted through the Common Application using natural language processing methods. Overall, White, Asian American, wealthier, and private… more →
Changes in Kindergarten Redshirting During the COVID-19 Pandemic
… This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on academic "redshirting" in kindergarten, the practice of holding a child back for a year and enrolling them in kindergarten at age 6, using …This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on academic "redshirting" in kindergarten, the practice of holding a child back for a year and enrolling them in kindergarten at age 6, using student-level data on all Delaware kindergarten students from fall 2014 through fall 2022. The rate of redshirting declined by 40% in fall 2020, then increased by 44% (relative to pre-pandemic baseline) in fall… more →
Does Monitoring Change Teacher Pedagogy and Student Outcomes?
… In theory, monitoring can improve employee motivation and effort, particularly in settings lacking measurable … To address this gap, I leverage exogenous variation in the presence and intensity of teacher monitoring, in the form of unannounced in-class …In theory, monitoring can improve employee motivation and effort, particularly in settings lacking measurable outputs, but research assessing monitoring as a motivator is limited to laboratory settings. To address this gap, I leverage exogenous variation in the presence and intensity of teacher monitoring, in the form of unannounced in-class observations as part of D.C. Public Schools’ IMPACT… more →
(Dis)connection at Work: Racial Isolation, Teachers’ Job Experiences, and Teacher Turnover
… Teachers of color often work in schools with few colleagues from the same racial or ethnic background. This racial isolation may affect their work experiences and important job outcomes, including retention. Using …Teachers of color often work in schools with few colleagues from the same racial or ethnic background. This racial isolation may affect their work experiences and important job outcomes, including retention. Using longitudinal administrative and survey data, we investigate the degree to which Tennessee teachers who are more racially isolated are more likely to turn over. Accounting for other… more →
Understanding Individualized Education Program (IEP) Goals at Scale
… Students with disabilities represent 15% of U.S. public school students. Individualized Education … experience education. Very little is known about the aspects of IEPs as they are historically paper-based … a coding taxonomy to categorize IEP goals into 10 subjects and 40 skills. We apply the taxonomy to digital IEP records …Students with disabilities represent 15% of U.S. public school students. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) inform how students with disabilities experience education. Very little is known about the aspects of IEPs as they are historically paper-based forms. In this study, we develop a coding taxonomy to categorize IEP goals into 10 subjects and 40 skills. We apply the taxonomy to… more →
Answering the call: How changes to the salience of job characteristics affects college students’ decisions
… on misleading heuristics (“interesting jobs pay badly”) and pursue options misaligned with their goals. We test … changes decision making. We find increasing the salience of a job’s monetary benefits increases the likelihood college …College students make job decisions without complete information. As a result, they may rely on misleading heuristics (“interesting jobs pay badly”) and pursue options misaligned with their goals. We test whether highlighting job characteristics changes decision making. We find increasing the salience of a job’s monetary benefits increases the likelihood college students apply by 196%. In… more →
The Effect of Taxpayer-Funded Education Savings Accounts on Private School Tuition: Evidence from Iowa
… Does state implementation of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), which are voucher-like … novel longitudinal dataset for all private schools in Iowa and Nebraska, neighboring states that adopted ESAs in the same legislative session, with Iowa’s implementation …Does state implementation of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), which are voucher-like taxpayer-funded subsidies for children to attend private schools, increase tuition prices? We analyze a novel longitudinal dataset for all private schools in Iowa and Nebraska, neighboring states that adopted ESAs in the same legislative session, with Iowa’s implementation beginning first. By leveraging… more →
The Effect of Early Childhood Programs on Third-Grade Test Scores: Evidence from Transitional Kindergarten in Michigan
… Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the U.S. early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of …Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the U.S. early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of the impact of Michigan’s TK program on 3rd grade test scores. Using an augmented regression discontinuity design, we find that TK improves 3rd grade math scores by 0.29 standard deviations relative… more →
The long-term distributional impacts of a full-year interleaving math program in Nigeria
… This study reports the findings from a year-long randomized evaluation assessing the impact of assigning 62 classrooms in Nigeria to receive either … … K-12 Education … Mathematics education … International and comparative … Instructional practices … Inequality … …This study reports the findings from a year-long randomized evaluation assessing the impact of assigning 62 classrooms in Nigeria to receive either blocked or interleaved math problem sets. Blocked practice sessions focused on a single skill at a time. Interleaved problem sets alternated between different skills within a practice session. On tests of short-term retention, interleaved practice… more →
“Non-Submitters:” Evidence on Students Who Start but Don’t Complete a College Application
… We use descriptive techniques, data visualizations, and fixed effects models to explore this population of college-interested “non-submitters” to observe application …Not all students who could benefit from college apply. With novel data on over 1.2 million high schoolers, we show that nearly 25% start but never complete a college application. We use descriptive techniques, data visualizations, and fixed effects models to explore this population of college-interested “non-submitters” to observe application behaviors; document differences across individual,… more →
Community Colleges and Careers: Evidence from Nursing School Lotteries
… I estimate the effect of attending an associate's degree in nursing program on … within three years. By seven years the effect is smaller and not statistically significant. I estimate the value of a …I estimate the effect of attending an associate's degree in nursing program on nursing licensure. I use student-level academic data for all California community college students, matched to public records on all nursing licenses earned in the state. I produce causal estimates using random variation from admissions lotteries at a large nursing program. Enrolling in the program increases the… more →
Can brick phones bridge the digital learning divide? Evidence from SMS-based math practice
… Hardware requirements are a barrier to widespread adoption of digital learning software among low-income populations. We investigate the demand among smallholder-farming households for a simple, … that can be accessed by widely available ``brick'' phones, and its effect on educational outcomes. Over a quarter of …Hardware requirements are a barrier to widespread adoption of digital learning software among low-income populations. We investigate the demand among smallholder-farming households for a simple, adaptive math learning tool that can be accessed by widely available ``brick'' phones, and its effect on educational outcomes. Over a quarter of invited households used the tool, with greater demand… more →
Incentivizing Equity? The Effects of Performance-Based Funding on Race-Based Gaps in College Completion
… a Synthetic Control Method research design, we examine the impact of these funding regimes on race-based completion gaps in Tennessee and Ohio. We find no evidence that performance-based funding …Performance-based funding models for higher education, which tie state support for institutions to performance on student outcomes, have proliferated in recent decades. Some states have designed these policies to also address educational attainment gaps by including bonus payments for traditionally low-performing groups. Using a Synthetic Control Method research design, we examine the impact… more →
Connected Networks in Principal Value-Added Models
… a connected networks model that includes both principal and school fixed effects (FE) to isolate principal … Tennessee and New York City, we show that limited mobility of principals among schools yields connected networks that … however, can alleviate estimation error to increase the reliability of principal VA. … Value-added models, school …A growing literature uses value-added (VA) models to quantify principals' contributions to improving student outcomes. Principal VA is typically estimated using a connected networks model that includes both principal and school fixed effects (FE) to isolate principal effectiveness from fixed school factors that principals cannot control. While conceptually appealing, high-dimensional FE… more →
Indigenous Students and English Learner Identification: A Fifty-State Policy Review
… however nearly one in ten American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students are classified in school as ELs. Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) defines EL …English learner (EL) education is widely conceived as services for immigrant-origin students, however nearly one in ten American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students are classified in school as ELs. Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) defines EL eligibility differently for Indigenous, compared to non-Indigenous, students with implications for who is identified as… more →
Operator versus Partner: A Case Study of Blueprint School Network’s Model for School Turnaround
… to “turn around” low-performing schools. Evidence on the effectiveness of school turnarounds, however, is mixed, and research offers little guidance on which models are more …Numerous high-profile efforts have sought to “turn around” low-performing schools. Evidence on the effectiveness of school turnarounds, however, is mixed, and research offers little guidance on which models are more likely to succeed. We present a mixed-methods case study of turnaround efforts led by the Blueprint Schools Network in three schools in Boston. Using a difference-in-differences… more →
Ordinal Approaches to Decomposing Between-group Test Score Disparities
… The estimation of test score “gaps” and gap trends plays an important role … ordinal gap statistic, and an extension of ordered probit models. Simulations show V decompositions have negligible …The estimation of test score “gaps” and gap trends plays an important role in monitoring educational inequality. Researchers decompose gaps and gap changes into within- and between-school portions to generate evidence on the role schools play in shaping these inequalities. However, existing decomposition methods assume an equal-interval test scale and are a poor fit to coarsened data such as… more →
Interpreting Effect Sizes of Education Interventions
… that are small by Cohen’s standards are large relative to the impacts of most field-based interventions. These benchmarks also fail … important differences in study features, program costs, and scalability. In this paper, I present five broad …Researchers commonly interpret effect sizes by applying benchmarks proposed by Cohen over a half century ago. However, effects that are small by Cohen’s standards are large relative to the impacts of most field-based interventions. These benchmarks also fail to consider important differences in study features, program costs, and scalability. In this paper, I present five broad guidelines for… more →
O Brother, Where Start Thou? Sibling Spillovers in College Enrollment
… increases their own four-year college enrollment rate and quality of college attended. Their improved college choices in turn … Some younger siblings follow their older sibling to the same campus but many upgrade by choosing other colleges. …We study within-family spillovers in college enrollment to show college-going behavior is transmissible between peers. Because siblings’ test scores are weakly correlated, we exploit college-specific admissions thresholds that directly affect older but not younger siblings’ college options. Older siblings’ admissibility substantially increases their own four-year college enrollment rate and… more →
Spillover Impacts on Education from Employment Guarantees
… program (MGNREGA) employing adults in 23% of Indian households. A potential concern is that … opportunities may discourage investment in human capital and long-run income growth. Using large-scale administrative … reject substantive declines in children's education from the government's rollout of MGNREGA. I estimate that these …Programs that provide lower-skill employment are a popular anti-poverty strategy in developing countries, with India's employment-guarantee program (MGNREGA) employing adults in 23% of Indian households. A potential concern is that guaranteeing lower-skill employment opportunities may discourage investment in human capital and long-run income growth. Using large-scale… more →
Design-Based Approaches to Causal Replication Studies
… Recent interest to promote and support replication efforts assume that there is … these studies. However, no such consensus exists in the methodology literature. This article addresses these … are systematically tested to evaluate the replicability of effects, as well as to identify sources of effect …Recent interest to promote and support replication efforts assume that there is well-established methodological guidance for designing and implementing these studies. However, no such consensus exists in the methodology literature. This article addresses these challenges by describing design-based approaches for planning systematic replication studies. Our general approach is… more →
Is Education Consumption or Investment? Implications for School Competition
… schools would improve education. His argument was simple and compelling because it extended results from markets for consumer goods to education. We review the evidence, which yields surprisingly mixed results on … Second, labor markets can feature wage premia: individuals of a given skill level may receive higher wages if they match …Friedman (1955) argued that giving parents freedom to choose schools would improve education. His argument was simple and compelling because it extended results from markets for consumer goods to education. We review the evidence, which yields surprisingly mixed results on Friedman's prediction. A key reason is that households often seem to choose schools based on their absolute achievement… more →