EdWorkingPapers
A Framework for Motivating Teacher-Student Relationships
… Few question the value of teacher-student relationships (TSRs) for educational … TSRs are positively associated with students’ achievement and engagement, as well as teachers’ well-being. Building and …Few question the value of teacher-student relationships (TSRs) for educational outcomes. TSRs are positively associated with students’ achievement and engagement, as well as teachers’ well-being. Building and maintaining these crucial classroom relationships, however, is not easy. Drawing on prominent motivation theories in educational psychology, I present the Motivating Teacher-Student… more →
On the Threshold: Impacts of Barely Passing High-School Exit Exams on Post-Secondary Enrollment and Completion
… high-school exit examinations to assess students’ career and college readiness in core subjects. We find meaningful consequences of barely passing the mathematics examination in Massachusetts, as opposed to …Many states use high-school exit examinations to assess students’ career and college readiness in core subjects. We find meaningful consequences of barely passing the mathematics examination in Massachusetts, as opposed to just failing it. However, these impacts operate at different educational attainment margins for low-income and higher-income students. As in previous work, we find that barely… more →
U.S. Middle School Mathematics Instruction, 2016
… analyzed 93 lessons recorded by a national random sample of middle school mathematics teachers. We find that lesson quality varies, with the typical lesson containing some elements of mathematical reasoning and sense-making, but also teacher-directed instruction with …In recent decades, U.S. education leaders have advocated for more intellectually ambitious mathematics instruction in classrooms. Evidence about whether more ambitious mathematics instruction has filtered into contemporary classrooms, however, is largely anecdotal. To address this issue, we analyzed 93 lessons recorded by a national random sample of middle school mathematics teachers. We find… more →
Unintended Consequences of Expanding Teacher Preparation Pathways: Does alternative licensure attenuate new teacher pay?
… five years, this policy change resulted in over half the state’s new teachers being alternatively licensed. Using a series of first difference models, this study examines the … between the increased supply of new teachers in Texas and new teacher salaries prior to the policy change and in …Texas reduced new teacher preparation requirements in 2001 to allow more alternate paths to licensure. Within five years, this policy change resulted in over half the state’s new teachers being alternatively licensed. Using a series of first difference models, this study examines the relationship between the increased supply of new teachers in Texas and new teacher salaries prior to the policy… more →
Understanding Newcomer English Learner Students’ English Language Development: Comparisons and Predictors
… An important subgroup of English learner-classified (EL) students immigrate to the U.S., entering U.S. schools upon their arrival. Using growth models and statewide data, this study asks first, how newcomers’ …An important subgroup of English learner-classified (EL) students immigrate to the U.S., entering U.S. schools upon their arrival. Using growth models and statewide data, this study asks first, how newcomers’ English proficiency status and growth compare to those of non-newcomer EL students; and second, what characteristics are associated with differences in English language growth patterns among… more →
Comparing Turnover Intentions and Actual Turnover in the Public Sector Workforce: Evidence from Public School Teachers
… sector employees’ reported career intentions instead of measuring actual turnover, but research does not clearly … how these variables relate to one another. We develop and test three ways in which measures of employee intentions … might relate to one another: (a) intention may measure the same underlying construct as turnover; (b) intention may …Many studies rely on public sector employees’ reported career intentions instead of measuring actual turnover, but research does not clearly document how these variables relate to one another. We develop and test three ways in which measures of employee intentions and turnover might relate to one another: (a) intention may measure the same underlying construct as turnover; (b) intention may be… more →
Teachers’ Knowledge about and Preparedness for Retirement: Results from a Nationally Representative Teacher Survey
… Adequately saving for retirement requires both planning and knowledge about available retirement savings options. Teachers participate in a complex set of different plan designs and benefit tiers, and many do not … Social Security. While teachers represent a large part of the public workforce, relatively little is known regarding …Adequately saving for retirement requires both planning and knowledge about available retirement savings options. Teachers participate in a complex set of different plan designs and benefit tiers, and many do not participate in Social Security. While teachers represent a large part of the public workforce, relatively little is known regarding their knowledge about and preparation for retirement.… more →
Spread Too Thin: The Effects of Teacher Specialization on Student Achievement
… Although the majority of elementary school teachers are in self-contained classrooms and teach all major subjects, a growing number of teachers specialize in teaching fewer subjects to higher numbers of students. We use administrative data …Although the majority of elementary school teachers are in self-contained classrooms and teach all major subjects, a growing number of teachers specialize in teaching fewer subjects to higher numbers of students. We use administrative data from Indiana to estimate the effect of teacher specialization on teacher and school effectiveness in elementary schools. We find that teacher specialization… more →
Equal Time for Equal Crime? Racial Bias in School Discipline
… Well-documented racial disparities in rates of exclusionary discipline may arise from differences in … student behavior or bias, in which treatment for the same behavior varies by student race or ethnicity. We … variation in disciplinary outcomes across White and under-represented minority students. The second employs …Well-documented racial disparities in rates of exclusionary discipline may arise from differences in hard-to-observe student behavior or bias, in which treatment for the same behavior varies by student race or ethnicity. We provide evidence for the presence of bias using statewide administrative data that contain rich details on individual disciplinary infractions. Two complementary empirical… more →
Does Where Students Come From Affect Where Teachers Go?
… We show that fade out biases value-added estimates at the teacher-level. To do so, we use administrative data from North Carolina and show that teachers' value-added depend on the quality of the teacher that preceded them. Value-added estimators …We show that fade out biases value-added estimates at the teacher-level. To do so, we use administrative data from North Carolina and show that teachers' value-added depend on the quality of the teacher that preceded them. Value-added estimators that control for fade out feature no such teacher-level bias. Under a benchmark policy that releases teachers in the bottom five percent of the value-… more →
A Strengths-Based, Culturally Responsive Family Intervention Improves Latino Kindergarteners’ Vocabulary and Approaches to Learning
… age = 67 months) from 13 schools, this study investigated the impact of a four-week family program designed to capitalize on food … vocabulary (especially food-related) at end-of-treatment and the five-month follow-up, and suggestive evidence of …Food routines play a special role in Latino families. Using a cluster randomized trial with 248 children (M age = 67 months) from 13 schools, this study investigated the impact of a four-week family program designed to capitalize on food routines in improving Latino kindergarteners’ outcomes in the U.S. There were moderate-to-large impacts on child vocabulary (especially food-related) at end-of-… more →
Examining STEM Performance within a Comprehensive College Transition Program
… We examine the impact of the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC), a … of majors, on students’ science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related outcomes. We use an explanatory … the quantitative analyses and uses qualitative analyses to contextualize and explain our quantitative findings. …We examine the impact of the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC), a comprehensive college transition program serving students with a variety of majors, on students’ science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related outcomes. We use an explanatory mixed-methods design, which prioritizes the quantitative analyses and uses qualitative analyses to contextualize and explain our… more →
Can Light-Touch College-Going Interventions Make a Difference? Evidence From a Statewide Experiment in Michigan
… are mailed a letter encouraging them to consider college and providing them with the web address of a college information website. I find that very …I conduct a statewide experiment in Michigan with nearly 50,000 high-achieving high school seniors. Treated students are mailed a letter encouraging them to consider college and providing them with the web address of a college information website. I find that very high-achieving, low-income students, and very high-achieving, minority students are the most likely to navigate to the website. Small… more →
Early Algebra Affects Peer Composition
… research suggests that students benefit on a range of outcomes when they enroll in early algebra classes, policy … for this apparent contradiction often emphasize the potential role of teacher and peer effects, which could create positive effects for …Although existing research suggests that students benefit on a range of outcomes when they enroll in early algebra classes, policy efforts that accelerate algebra enrollment for large numbers of students often have negative effects. Explanations for this apparent contradiction often emphasize the potential role of teacher and peer effects, which could create positive effects for individual… more →
College Major Restrictions and Student Stratification
… earning degrees in relatively less-lucrative fields of study since the mid-1990s. A decomposition reveals that this widening gap … four public research universities' student transcripts and employing a staggered difference-in-difference design …Underrepresented minority (URM) college students have been steadily earning degrees in relatively less-lucrative fields of study since the mid-1990s. A decomposition reveals that this widening gap is principally explained by rising stratification at public research universities, many of which increasingly enforce GPA restriction policies that prohibit students with poor introductory grades from… more →
Is Reputational Pressure Enough to Create Competitive School Choice Effects? Evidence from Seoul’s School Choice Policy
… During the pandemic, a number of states instituted hold-harmless funding policies to … the achievement of students attending traditional public and private schools. The effect of APHSs is identified by …During the pandemic, a number of states instituted hold-harmless funding policies to protect school district financially from declining enrollments (Center for Public Education, 2021). In addition, some school choice policies have protected traditional public schools financially from declining enrollments. Together, these policies raise the question of whether competitive effects can exist in a… more →
Count Me In? Identifying Factors That Predict Centers’ Application to Boston’s Mixed-Delivery Universal Pre-K Program
… mixed-delivery systems by offering seats in public schools and community-based centers (CBOs). Although this approach … and administrative data from 223 licensed centers during the first 2 years of Boston UPK expansion. We included a geospatial approach to …Universal prekindergarten (UPK) programs often expand through mixed-delivery systems by offering seats in public schools and community-based centers (CBOs). Although this approach aims to meet varied family needs, little is known about potential systematic differences between CBOs that apply to UPK programs and those that do not. We examined whether applier and nonapplier CBOs differ in capacity… more →
Does State-Mandated Third-Grade Reading Retention Policy Improve Achievement? Evidence from a Staggered-Adoption Difference-in-Differences Design
… This paper investigates whether the state-mandated third-grade reading retention policy … Difference-in-Differences design, as per Callaway and Sant’Anna (2021), to assess heterogeneous treatment … states implementing retention mandates observe an increase of approximately 0.07–0.10 standard deviations in …This paper investigates whether the state-mandated third-grade reading retention policy autonomously enhances student achievement or depends on broader literacy reforms. Using district-level data from the Stanford Education Data Archive (2010–2019), I employ a staggered-adoption Difference-in-Differences design, as per Callaway and Sant’Anna (2021), to assess heterogeneous treatment effects… more →
Better Together? Female Instructors, Female Advisors, and Women’s Persistence in Economics
… Female instructors and female advisors each matter for women’s persistence in economics. We ask whether the two work better together than apart and whether this is … although the evidence is more suggestive. The effect of a female instructor may depend on the advising that …Female instructors and female advisors each matter for women’s persistence in economics. We ask whether the two work better together than apart and whether this is specific to women. Using administrative records from a broad-access public university, we combine quasi-random instructor assignment with plausibly exogenous advisor assignment. Among women, the share taking an advanced economics… more →
Beyond School Police Officers: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Exposure to a Fuller Range of School Security Personnel
… Using data from the 2017–18 and 2020–21 Civil Rights Data … Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Exposure to a Fuller Range of School Security Personnel …Using data from the 2017–18 and 2020–21 Civil Rights Data Collection, we document dispari-ties in exposure to security personnel across US high schools and geographic levels. We dis-tinguish between law enforcement officers (LEOs) and school security guards (SSGs) to cap-ture variation in how security roles are deployed. Results show that Black and Hispanic stu-dents experience greater exposure… more →
The Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Student Outcomes in a New Era of Immigration Policy in the United States
… This study presents the first evidence, to our knowledge, of the effects of the surge in interior immigration … enforcement reduced test scores for both U.S.-born and foreign-born Spanish-speaking students while also …This study presents the first evidence, to our knowledge, of the effects of the surge in interior immigration apprehensions in 2025 in the United States on student academic performance using detailed student-level administrative records from Florida. We find evidence that immigration enforcement reduced test scores for both U.S.-born and foreign-born Spanish-speaking students while also reducing… more →
Estimating Compensating Wage Differentials for Public School Teachers in High-Poverty and High-Minority Schools: Evidence from U.S. National Data, 1988–2018
… wage differentials (CWDs) for teachers in high-poverty and/or high-minority schools, drawing on thirty years of nationally representative data from the School and Staffing Surveys (SASS), National Teacher and …Using a hedonic wage framework, this paper estimates compensating wage differentials (CWDs) for teachers in high-poverty and/or high-minority schools, drawing on thirty years of nationally representative data from the School and Staffing Surveys (SASS), National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), and Common Core of Data (CCD), 1988–2018. We also examine CWDs for teachers with STEM BA degrees… more →
The Effects of High School Remediation on Long-Run Educational Attainment
… This study examines the effects of remedial courses in high school on postsecondary outcomes using a regression discontinuity design and explores the mechanisms behind these effects. I find that …This study examines the effects of remedial courses in high school on postsecondary outcomes using a regression discontinuity design and explores the mechanisms behind these effects. I find that being placed in the remedial schedule and taking an additional remedial course in high school reduces the likelihood of attaining a 2- or 4-year college degree by 20 percent. The findings also suggest… more →
Who may enter? Qualification and ranking in centralized admission systems to higher education
… what choices are available to whom. Policy makers and institutions must balance multiple, often conflicting, … are more eligible applicants than seats available? Using the framework in combination with examples and ongoing policy … discussions, we offer key insights into the complexities of admission systems. … qualification, ranking, higher …Admission systems play a critical role in shaping educational opportunities by determining what choices are available to whom. Policy makers and institutions must balance multiple, often conflicting, goals which requires trade-offs between competing values. In this paper, we present core values for admission to higher education alongside a novel framework for centralized admission systems,… more →
The Peer Effects of Grade Retention
… We study the peer effects of grade retention in the context of Indiana’s statewide … for two cohorts: rising fourth graders who lose a peer and rising third graders who gain a peer. We identify peer …We study the peer effects of grade retention in the context of Indiana’s statewide third-grade retention policy. When a retention occurs, it changes the peer group for two cohorts: rising fourth graders who lose a peer and rising third graders who gain a peer. We identify peer effects in both cohorts by leveraging plausibly exogenous variation in cohort-level retention rates caused by a… more →
Do Students Respond to Sticker-Price Reductions?: Evidence from the North Carolina Promise
… The North Carolina Promise is a state-level policy that reduced the cost of tuition for all students who attended one of three … System starting in fall of 2018. We use IPEDS data and a synthetic control approach to examine how this tuition …The North Carolina Promise is a state-level policy that reduced the cost of tuition for all students who attended one of three campuses in the University of North Carolina System starting in fall of 2018. We use IPEDS data and a synthetic control approach to examine how this tuition reduction affected enrollment and persistence at these campuses. We find that NC Promise did not increase… more →
OK Boomer: Generational Differences in Teacher Quality
… We document that recent generations of elementary school teachers are significantly more … generations. Measuring teachers’ value-added for Black and white students separately, the improvements in teaching for Black students are …We document that recent generations of elementary school teachers are significantly more effective in raising student test scores than those from earlier generations. Measuring teachers’ value-added for Black and white students separately, the improvements in teaching for Black students are significantly larger than those seen for white students. The race-specific improvements in teacher quality… more →
Revisiting Ethnic Differences in In-Person Learning During 2021-2022
… During the 2020-21 school year, Black and Hispanic students were less likely to attend school … in 2020-2021, lose explanatory power. But the availability of learning options remains an important factor in helping …During the 2020-21 school year, Black and Hispanic students were less likely to attend school in-person than white students. Prior research indicated multiple factors helped explain this gap. In this study, we revise these observed racial gaps in in-person learning to examine whether the relationship between these gaps and explanatory factors observed earlier in the pandemic changed during the… more →
How Do Homeowners, Teachers, and Students Respond to a Four-Day School Week?
… Faced with decreasing funds and increasing costs, a growing number of school districts across the United States are switching to four-day school weeks …Faced with decreasing funds and increasing costs, a growing number of school districts across the United States are switching to four-day school weeks (4DSWs). Although previously used only by rural districts, the policy has begun to gain traction in metropolitan districts. We examine homeowner, teacher, and student outcomes in one of the first metropolitan school districts to adopt the 4DSW. We… more →
Variation in broadband access among undergraduate populations across the United States
… Increasing numbers of students require internet access to pursue their … between subpopulations within larger groups. Through the dual lenses of quantitative intersectionality and critical race spatial analysis, we use Bayesian …Increasing numbers of students require internet access to pursue their undergraduate degrees, yet broadband access remains inequitable across student populations. Furthermore, surveys that currently show differences in access by student demographics or location typically do so at high levels of aggregation, thereby obscuring important variation between subpopulations within larger groups. Through… more →
Does Reclassification Change How English Learners Feel about School and Themselves? Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design
… Reclassification can be an important juncture in the academic experience of English Learners (ELs). Literature has explored the … learning (SEL) skills, which are as malleable and important to long-term success, remains unclear. Using a …Reclassification can be an important juncture in the academic experience of English Learners (ELs). Literature has explored the potential for reclassification to influence academic outcomes like achievement, yet its impact on social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, which are as malleable and important to long-term success, remains unclear. Using a regression discontinuity design, we examine the… more →
Bias in kindergarten ability group placement: Does parental lobbying make it worse? Do formal assessments make it better?
… US kindergarten teachers placed girls, Asian-Americans, and children from families of high socioeconomic status (SES) into higher ability groups than their test scores alone would warrant. The results fit the view that teachers were biased. This …Von Hippel & Cañedo (2021) reported that US kindergarten teachers placed girls, Asian-Americans, and children from families of high socioeconomic status (SES) into higher ability groups than their test scores alone would warrant. The results fit the view that teachers were biased. This comment asks whether parents’ lobbying for higher placement might explain these results. The answer, for… more →
Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on Older Adolescents: Examining Impacts of the Schedule on Academic Achievement, Attendance, and Behavior in High School
… Four-day school weeks have proliferated across the United States in recent years, reaching over 650 public school districts in 24 states as of 2019, but little is known about their implementation and there is no consensus on their effects on students. This …Four-day school weeks have proliferated across the United States in recent years, reaching over 650 public school districts in 24 states as of 2019, but little is known about their implementation and there is no consensus on their effects on students. This study uses district level panel data from Oklahoma and a difference-in-differences research design to provide estimates of the causal effect… more →
Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching in the Earliest Grades: Benefits for Executive Function Skills
… The benefits of student-teacher ethnoracial matching on student outcomes—ranging from academic achievement to postsecondary attainment—are well documented. Yet, we know … ethnoracial matching in the earliest grades school and on less about effects on non-academic outcomes. The …The benefits of student-teacher ethnoracial matching on student outcomes—ranging from academic achievement to postsecondary attainment—are well documented. Yet, we know far less about the role of student-teacher ethnoracial matching in the earliest grades school and on less about effects on non-academic outcomes. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of student-teacher… more →
Gender Peer Effects in Post-Secondary Vocational Education
… This paper presents evidence that women and men benefit from having a higher percentage of female peers in post-secondary vocational STEM programs. I … decreasing women's dropout rates and increasing GPA. The peer effect seems to be mediated by the gender of the …This paper presents evidence that women and men benefit from having a higher percentage of female peers in post-secondary vocational STEM programs. I use idiosyncratic variation in gender composition across cohorts within majors within branches (campuses) for identification. Having a higher percentage of female peers positively affects students in STEM majors, decreasing women's dropout rates and… more →
Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education: Longitudinal Evidence from the Universe of Publicly-Funded Programs in Louisiana
… This paper provides a longitudinal examination of teacher turnover across all publicly-funded, center-based … educators teaching in fall 2016 up to seven times through the fall of 2019. We provide the first statewide estimates of … high among child care teachers, teachers of toddlers, and new teachers. … teacher turnover, early childhood …This paper provides a longitudinal examination of teacher turnover across all publicly-funded, center-based early childhood sites in Louisiana. We follow 4,465 early educators teaching in fall 2016 up to seven times through the fall of 2019. We provide the first statewide estimates of within-year turnover in ECE, as well as the first statewide study tracking turnover rates in ECE over multiple… more →
Skills, Degrees and Labor Market Inequality
… Over the past four decades, income inequality grew significantly between workers with bachelor’s degrees and those with high school diplomas (often called … their work experience. Using the skill requirements of a worker’s current job as a proxy of their actual skill, …Over the past four decades, income inequality grew significantly between workers with bachelor’s degrees and those with high school diplomas (often called “unskilled”). Rather than being unskilled, we argue that these workers are STARs because they are skilled through alternative routes—namely their work experience. Using the skill requirements of a worker’s current job as a proxy of their actual… more →
The Value of College Athletics in the Labor Market: Results from a Resume Audit Field Experiment
… contributes to leadership, conscientiousness, discipline, and other traits that are desirable for labor-market … productivity. We conduct a resume audit to estimate the causal effect of listing collegiate athletics on employer callbacks and …Employers may favor applicants who played college sports if athletics participation contributes to leadership, conscientiousness, discipline, and other traits that are desirable for labor-market productivity. We conduct a resume audit to estimate the causal effect of listing collegiate athletics on employer callbacks and test for subgroup effects by ethnicity, gender, and sport type. We applied… more →
Student Learning in Online College Programs
… We draw on administrative data from the country of Colombia to assess differences in student learning in online and traditional on-campus college programs. The Colombian …We draw on administrative data from the country of Colombia to assess differences in student learning in online and traditional on-campus college programs. The Colombian context is uniquely suited to study this topic, as students take an exit examination at the end of their studies. We can therefore directly compare performance on the exit exam for students in online and on-campus programs both… more →
Assistant Principal Mobility and its Relationship with Principal Turnover
… important education personnel, both as essential members of school leadership teams and apprentice principals. However, empirical evidence on … data from Tennessee and Missouri, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of AP mobility. While prior …Assistant principals are important education personnel, both as essential members of school leadership teams and apprentice principals. However, empirical evidence on their career outcomes remains scarce. Using statewide administrative data from Tennessee and Missouri, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of AP mobility. While prior work focuses only on AP promotions into principal… more →
Coal Use and Student Performance
… We examine the effect of air pollution from power production on students' cognitive outcomes by leveraging year-to-year production variation, wind patterns, and plant closures. We find that every one million megawatt …We examine the effect of air pollution from power production on students' cognitive outcomes by leveraging year-to-year production variation, wind patterns, and plant closures. We find that every one million megawatt hours of coal-fired power production decreases student performance in schools within ten kilometers by 0.02 standard deviations. Gas-fired plants exhibit no such relationship.… more →
Inequality in Household Adaptation to Schooling Shocks: Covid-Induced Online Learning Engagement in Real Time
… out online learning resources as schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By April 2020, nationwide search intensity for both school- and parent-centered online learning resources had roughly doubled relative to baseline. Areas of the country with higher income, better internet access and …We use high frequency internet search data to study in real time how US households sought out online learning resources as schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By April 2020, nationwide search intensity for both school- and parent-centered online learning resources had roughly doubled relative to baseline. Areas of the country with higher income, better internet access and fewer rural… more →
A Political Framework on How ESSA’s Devolved Federal Authority Influences State Policymaking Toward Educationally Disadvantaged Students
… The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) grants states unprecedented discretion in … empirical research on ESSA’s impacts. These alternative models—ESSA’s Legal Framework, Institutional Actors, and Stakeholder Bargaining—can inform the law’s national …The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) grants states unprecedented discretion in implementing many of the federal law’s requirements concerning the needs of the nation’s educationally disadvantaged students. This theoretical paper addresses a void in the policy implementation literature on why ESEA reform efforts have not been more effectively sustained. It synthesizes previous research on… more →
Realizing Your College Potential? Impacts of College Board’s RYCP Campaign on Postsecondary Enrollment
… The College Board sought to reduce barriers in the college … costs, encouraging a broad application portfolio, and providing an impetus to start the search process. Some … 785,000 low- and middle-income students in the top 50% of the PSAT and SAT distributions, we find no changes in …The College Board sought to reduce barriers in the college application process by minimizing information aggregation costs, encouraging a broad application portfolio, and providing an impetus to start the search process. Some students were offered additional encouragements, such as text message reminders or college application fee waivers. In a randomized control trial with 785,000 low- and… more →
Identifying Effective Attendance Strategies in Michigan
… absenteeism remains a persistent challenge in Michigan and across the country in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic … efforts to improve attendance—implementing a wide range of practices, systems, and supports (Singer & Lenhoff, …Chronic absenteeism remains a persistent challenge in Michigan and across the country in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic (Singer, 2024). While schools have expanded their efforts to improve attendance—implementing a wide range of practices, systems, and supports (Singer & Lenhoff, 2025)—there is still limited evidence about which of these strategies are most effective in improving… more →
The effect of smaller classes on infection-related school absence: Evidence from the Project STAR randomized controlled trial
… reduce class size if they have not reduced it already. Yet the effect of class size on transmission is unknown. To determine … Project STAR randomized class size trial with influenza and pneumonia data from the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting …In an effort to reduce viral transmission, many schools are planning to reduce class size if they have not reduced it already. Yet the effect of class size on transmission is unknown. To determine whether smaller classes reduce school absence, especially when community disease prevalence is high, we merge data from the Project STAR randomized class size trial with influenza and pneumonia data… more →
Supplanting or Supplementing? The Stickiness of Title I Revenues in Post-Adequacy Era
… how school districts respond to federal Title I funding in the postadequacy era. I find that fiscal adjustment occurs … are mainly driven by reduced construction expenditure and lower long-term debt issuance. By contrast, operating revenues show no evidence of systematic crowd-out. These patterns are consistent with …This paper examines how school districts respond to federal Title I funding in the postadequacy era. I find that fiscal adjustment occurs through capital investment rather than operating budgets. Using a regression discontinuity design centered on the Title I Concentration Grant eligibility threshold with district-level data from 2008–2017, I show that districts at the eligibility margin have… more →
The Impact of School District Turnaround on Postsecondary Outcomes: Evidence from Lawrence, Massachusetts
… Limited research examines the impact of accountability interventions on outcomes beyond test-based … We examine the effects of the 2012 state takeover and districtwide turnaround of Massachusetts’ Lawrence Public …Limited research examines the impact of accountability interventions on outcomes beyond test-based measures of short-term academic achievement. We examine the effects of the 2012 state takeover and districtwide turnaround of Massachusetts’ Lawrence Public Schools—a district serving a majority-low-income, majority-Hispanic student population—on high school and postsecondary outcomes using… more →
Lifting Up Attendance in Rural Districts: A Multi-Site Trial of a Personalized Messaging Campaign
… Student absenteeism has remained high following the COVID-19 pandemic and districts need low-cost strategies to improve attendance. … Up Attendance in Rural Districts: A Multi-Site Trial of a Personalized Messaging Campaign …Student absenteeism has remained high following the COVID-19 pandemic and districts need low-cost strategies to improve attendance. In 2020-21, the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks piloted a promising personalized messaging intervention in 8 rural districts in New York and Ohio. We worked with a student information system provider to replicate the intervention in a randomized… more →
Funding the Digital Divide? How School District Financing for Educational Technology Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic
… School finance inequities are a key driver of disparities in educational outcomes. Higher per-pupil … to provide more qualified educators, smaller class sizes, and high-quality physical resources such as modern … for instructional technology, and how that changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find districts use state funding …School finance inequities are a key driver of disparities in educational outcomes. Higher per-pupil funding levels allow schools to provide more qualified educators, smaller class sizes, and high-quality physical resources such as modern instructional technology. We study how Washington state school districts generate and allocate funding for instructional technology, and how that changed during… more →