EdWorkingPapers
Growing up Homeless: Student Homelessness and Educational Outcomes in Los Angeles
… rising among public school students in large cities across the US. Using nine years of student-level administrative data, we examine how homelessness affects students’ mathematics and attendance outcomes within the Los Angeles Unified School …Homelessness is rising among public school students in large cities across the US. Using nine years of student-level administrative data, we examine how homelessness affects students’ mathematics and attendance outcomes within the Los Angeles Unified School District, including the differential effects of homelessness based on duration and timing of their homeless experiences. Results using… more →
How Increased School Choice Affects Public School Enrollment and School Segregation
… We investigate the determinants and consequences of increased school choice by analyzing a 22-year school …We investigate the determinants and consequences of increased school choice by analyzing a 22-year school panel matched to county-level demographic, economic, and political data. Using an event-study design exploiting the precise timing of charter school enrollment change, we provide robust evidence that charter enrollment growth increases racial and especially socioeconomic school… more →
Do Peers Affect Undergraduates’ Decisions to Switch Majors?
… This study used college dormitory room and social group assignment data to investigate the peer effect on the probability of college students switching their major fields of study. …This study used college dormitory room and social group assignment data to investigate the peer effect on the probability of college students switching their major fields of study. The results revealed strong evidence of peer effects on students’ decisions to switch majors. In particular, the number of a student’s peers who have the same major significantly reduces the student’s likelihood of… more →
Are Schools Deemed Effective Based on Overall Student Growth Also Closing Achievement Gaps? Examining the Black-White Gap in Schools
… Research has begun to investigate whether teachers and schools are as effective with certain student subgroups as they are with the overall student population. Most of this research has examined the issue by trying to produce …Research has begun to investigate whether teachers and schools are as effective with certain student subgroups as they are with the overall student population. Most of this research has examined the issue by trying to produce causal estimates of school contributions to short-term student growth (usually using value-added models) and has emphasized rank orderings of schools by subgroup.… more →
Non-traditional Student Advising Before College: Lessons from Navigate Reconnect
… Prospective college students benefit from tailored advising and guidance about whether, where, and how to enroll. Support … short-term workforce outcomes. First, we link expansion of the Reconnect model across Tennessee to growth in …Prospective college students benefit from tailored advising and guidance about whether, where, and how to enroll. Support for college planning drops sharply after students leave high school, however, leaving non-traditional students largely on their own. We study Navigate Reconnect, a Tennessee advising program that intends to fill this gap. We evaluate how Navigate Reconnect access and… more →
The Disparate Impacts of Academic Probation
… who differ in how they respond to them. We study this in the context of academic probation, a policy used by nearly every U.S. … that probation raises dropout, lowers degree completion, and reduces earnings at ages 24 to 31 among low-income …Institutional rules that appear neutral can produce unequal outcomes when applied to students who differ in how they respond to them. We study this in the context of academic probation, a policy used by nearly every U.S. college to warn students whose grades fall below a fixed threshold that continued enrollment is conditional on improvement. To do so, we draw on student records from a large… more →
College Enrollment Patterns After SFFA v. Harvard
… We study how U.S. high school students’ patterns of college entry changed in the first year after the Supreme Court’s 2023 SFFA v. Harvard … dataset linking more than 12 million domestic PSAT, SAT, and AP takers in the 2021-2024 high school graduation cohorts …We study how U.S. high school students’ patterns of college entry changed in the first year after the Supreme Court’s 2023 SFFA v. Harvard ruling. Drawing on a rich dataset linking more than 12 million domestic PSAT, SAT, and AP takers in the 2021-2024 high school graduation cohorts to their college enrollment records, we examine post-SFFA changes both in students’ college destinations and in the… more →
Off the Books: School-Based Informal Diversion and Student and Community Outcomes
… City policy that encouraged informal diversion in place of arrest, using a difference-in-differences strategy. The probability of a juvenile crime record near a school fell … points---concentrated among misdemeanor offenses and female students--- likely independent of declines in …Efforts to reduce school-based arrest may reshape policing beyond school doors, yet their downstream effects are largely unknown. We study a New York City policy that encouraged informal diversion in place of arrest, using a difference-in-differences strategy. The probability of a juvenile crime record near a school fell by 6.9 percentage points---concentrated among misdemeanor offenses and… more →
The Role of Career Advising in High School in Shaping the Aspirations of First-Generation Students
… gap. Using 2018 PISA data, this study examined whether the provider (counselors vs. teachers) and scheduling format (formal vs. voluntary) of career advising in the United States and Costa Rica …College aspirations often form by 8th grade, yet first-generation students—those whose parents lack post-secondary education—miss out on resources continuing-generation peers use to make informed decisions about their futures. School-based career advising can help fill this gap. Using 2018 PISA data, this study examined whether the provider (counselors vs. teachers) and scheduling format (formal… more →
Answering the call: How changes to the salience of job characteristics affect college students’ decisions
… as assuming that interesting or prosocial jobs pay badly) and overlook campus positions that would support both their … field experiment and find that it does. Increasing the salience of a tutoring job's monetary benefits nearly tripled …College students often make employment decisions with incomplete information, particularly about compensation. As a result, they may rely on misleading heuristics (such as assuming that interesting or prosocial jobs pay badly) and overlook campus positions that would support both their financial needs and their development. We test whether highlighting job characteristics changes students'… more →
Not Too Young to Notice: The Early Emergence of Racial Disparities in Elementary Students’ School Climate Perceptions
… Scholarship on school climate often fails to explore the perspectives of elementary-school students. To fill this gap, we use … school climate perceptions, how they vary over time, and the factors that associate with them. We find that Black …Scholarship on school climate often fails to explore the perspectives of elementary-school students. To fill this gap, we use survey-data from Georgia to examine racial disparities in elementary-school students’ school climate perceptions, how they vary over time, and the factors that associate with them. We find that Black and "Other Race" students report worse school climate perceptions than… more →
How do place-based scholarships affect student borrowing and academic outcomes? Lessons from Atlanta
… shows that Achieve Atlanta’s placed-based scholarship and associated services meaningfully improve college … analyses, we find that students in their first semester of college who receive the scholarship and associated services are less likely to …Previous research shows that Achieve Atlanta’s placed-based scholarship and associated services meaningfully improve college persistence and completion. In this follow up study that uses similar methods but additional and more detailed data, we examine whether scholarship recipients exhibit different student loan portfolios, course-taking patterns, or academic performance. Using regression… more →
The Effect of College Entrance Exam Policies on Test Preparation and Tutoring Services
… especially for students who would otherwise not sit for the exam. Less understood is how families react to this … more pronounced effects in high income, highly educated, and high proportion Asian areas. The results were robust to … … Equity … Higher education … Tutoring … The Effect of College Entrance Exam Policies on Test Preparation and …Multiple studies suggest that policies mandating college entrance exams can have positive impacts on college outcomes, especially for students who would otherwise not sit for the exam. Less understood is how families react to this increased competition for college admissions. Our study estimates that such statewide mandatory testing policies cause an additional 16% increase in private tutoring… more →
Supportive Teacher Working Conditions as a Tool to Retain Non-Local Teachers in Rural Schools
… candidates to meet their staffing needs. Our examination of rural teachers’ preferences for local was guided by … fit theory. Specifically, we investigated the role of teacher working conditions (TWC) in the relationship between community connectedness and rural teachers’ job satisfaction and retention plans in …Rural school administrators prefer hiring homegrown teachers because they are more likely to stay than non-local teachers; however, administrators need to hire non-local candidates to meet their staffing needs. Our examination of rural teachers’ preferences for local was guided by person-organization fit theory. Specifically, we investigated the role of teacher working conditions (TWC) in the… more →
From Passive Promises to Proactive Guarantees: The Efficacy of Financial Certainty Interventions Among Automatically (In-)Admissible Students
… interact with automatic admissions. We tested the efficacy of a direct-to-student intervention that … low-income students free tuition, on-campus housing, and a housing scholarship at the University of Texas at … … Efficacy … Equity … Higher education … From Passive Promises to Proactive Guarantees: The Efficacy of Financial …Low-income high-achieving students are less likely than high-income peers to enroll in selective colleges. Financial certainty interventions can address administrative burdens that stifle their enrollment, even when colleges are tuition-free for them. However, we do not know whether these interventions are effective when students enjoy admissions certainty (e.g., with percent plans) or how… more →
Practice-Based Teacher Education Pedagogies Improve Responsiveness: Evidence from a Lab Experiment
… Given the limited time available during teacher preparation, … rigorous causal evidence regarding the relative efficacy of different pedagogies to inform teacher educator … common teacher preparation pedagogies. We find significant and large positive effects of practice-based pedagogies on …Given the limited time available during teacher preparation, teacher educators must make zerosum choices about the pedagogies they choose to prepare pre-service teachers. Yet the field lacks rigorous causal evidence regarding the relative efficacy of different pedagogies to inform teacher educator decision-making. To begin to address this issue, we randomly assigned 185 college students to one of… more →
The Effect of Student-Tutor Ratios: Experimental Evidence from a Pilot Online Math Tutoring Program
… Budget constraints and limited supplies of local tutors have caused many K-12 school districts to … instruction. We conduct a field experiment to explore the effect of increasing student-tutor ratios on middle …Budget constraints and limited supplies of local tutors have caused many K-12 school districts to pivot from individual tutoring in-person toward small-group tutoring online to expand access to personalized instruction. We conduct a field experiment to explore the effect of increasing student-tutor ratios on middle school students’ math achievement and growth during an online tutoring program. We… more →
Out-of-State Enrollment, Financial Aid and Academic Outcomes: Evidence from Wisconsin
… Scholars disagree about the effect out-of-state university students have on potential in-state … increase in out-of-state enrollment by around 29 percent and increased tuition revenue collected by the university by …Scholars disagree about the effect out-of-state university students have on potential in-state students. Despite paying a premium to attend state universities, researchers argue that out-of-state students may come at a cost to in-state students by negatively affecting academic quality or by crowding out in-state students. To study this relationship, we examine the effect of a 2016 policy at a… more →
Conditions under which college students can be responsive to nudging
… students to engage with their institution academically and administratively. Missteps with required administrative … and success. Through two experimental studies, we assessed the effectiveness of an artificially intelligent text-based chatbot that …College success requires students to engage with their institution academically and administratively. Missteps with required administrative processes can threaten student persistence and success. Through two experimental studies, we assessed the effectiveness of an artificially intelligent text-based chatbot that provided proactive outreach and support to college students to navigate… more →
Spillover Effects of Black Teachers on White Teachers’ Racial Competency: Mixed Methods Evidence from North Carolina
… The US teaching force remains disproportionately white while … more diverse. It is therefore important to understand how and under what conditions white teachers learn racial … when teaching Black students. The quantitative portion of this study relies on longitudinal data from North Carolina …The US teaching force remains disproportionately white while the student body grows more diverse. It is therefore important to understand how and under what conditions white teachers learn racial competency. This study applies a mixed-methods approach to investigate the hypothesis that Black peers improve white teachers’ effectiveness when teaching Black students. The quantitative portion of this… more →
Learning during the Pandemic: Evidence from Uzbekistan
… School closures induced by the COVID-19 pandemic led to concerns about student learning. This paper evaluates the effect of school closures on student learning in Uzbekistan, using a … … K-12 Education … Covid-19 recovery … International and comparative … Covid-19 Education Research for Recovery … …School closures induced by the COVID-19 pandemic led to concerns about student learning. This paper evaluates the effect of school closures on student learning in Uzbekistan, using a unique dataset that allows assessing change in learning over time. The findings show that test scores in math for grade 5 students improved over time by 0.29 standard deviation despite school closures. The outcomes… more →
Instructional Alignment is Associated with Sustained Benefits of PreK
… implementation fidelity data from PreK to 1st grade in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to measure instructional alignment and examine whether stronger alignment is associated with sustained benefits of BPS PreK on children’s language, literacy, and math skills …This study uses implementation fidelity data from PreK to 1st grade in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to measure instructional alignment and examine whether stronger alignment is associated with sustained benefits of BPS PreK on children’s language, literacy, and math skills through first grade. The study includes N = 498 students (mean age = 5.47, SD = 0.30 in K fall). Children who experienced… more →
The Thin Blue Line in Schools: New Evidence on School-Based Policing Across the U.S.
… national school-level data from 2014 to 2018 to estimate the impacts of SRO placement. We construct this discontinuity based on … the use of suspension, expulsion, police referral, and arrest of students. These increases in disciplinary and …U.S. public school students increasingly attend schools with sworn law enforcement officers present. Yet, little is known about how these school resource officers (SROs) affect school environments or student outcomes. Our study uses a fuzzy regression discontinuity (RD) design with national school-level data from 2014 to 2018 to estimate the impacts of SRO placement. We construct this… more →
Preferences, Inequities, and Incentives in the Substitute Teacher Labor Market
… We examine the labor supply decisions of substitute teachers – a large, on-demand market with broad shortages and inequitable supply. In 2018, Chicago Public Schools …We examine the labor supply decisions of substitute teachers – a large, on-demand market with broad shortages and inequitable supply. In 2018, Chicago Public Schools implemented a targeted bonus program designed to reduce unfilled teacher absences in largely segregated Black schools with historically low substitute coverage rates. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that incentive… more →
The Long-Run Impacts of Mexican-American School Desegregation
… We present the first quantitative analysis of the impact of ending de jure segregation of … decision on long-run educational attainment for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in California. Our identification …We present the first quantitative analysis of the impact of ending de jure segregation of Mexican-American school children in the United States by examining the effects of the 1947 Mendez v. Westminster court decision on long-run educational attainment for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in California. Our identification strategy relies on comparing individuals across California counties that… more →
How Do Charter Schools Affect System-Level Test Scores and Graduation Rates? A National Analysis
… We study the combined effects of charter schools, and their various mechanisms, on a …We study the combined effects of charter schools, and their various mechanisms, on a national level and across multiple outcomes. Using difference-in-differences and fixed effects methods, we find that charter entry (above 10 percent market share) increases high school graduation rate in geographic districts by about 2-4 percentage points and increases test scores by 0.06-0.16 standard deviations… more →
Stacking the Deck for Employment Success: Labor Market Returns to Stackable Credentials
… With rapid technological transformations to the labor market, many working adults return to college after … Using a comparative individual fixed effects strategy and an administrative panel dataset of enrollment and employment in Virginia, we provide the …With rapid technological transformations to the labor market, many working adults return to college after graduation to obtain additional training or credentials. Using a comparative individual fixed effects strategy and an administrative panel dataset of enrollment and employment in Virginia, we provide the first causal estimates of credential “stacking” – earning two or more community college… more →
Do Long Bus Rides Drive Down Academic Outcomes?
… buses may be a critical education policy lever, breaking the link between schools and neighborhoods and facilitating access to school choice. … the commute for bus riders, including the average length of the bus ride or whether long commutes harm academic …School buses may be a critical education policy lever, breaking the link between schools and neighborhoods and facilitating access to school choice. Yet little is known about the commute for bus riders, including the average length of the bus ride or whether long commutes harm academic outcomes. We begin to fill this gap using data from New York City to explore the morning commutes of over 120,… more →
Preferences, Selection, and the Structure of Teacher Pay
… Human-capital formation in school depends largely on the selection and retention of teachers. I conduct a discrete-choice experiment with …Human-capital formation in school depends largely on the selection and retention of teachers. I conduct a discrete-choice experiment with responses linked to administrative teacher and student records to examine teacher preferences for compensation structure and working conditions. I calculate willingness-to-pay for a rich set of work attributes. High-performing teachers have similar preferences… more →
The Spillover Effects of Parental Conflict on Classmates' Cognitive and Noncognitive Outcomes
… on schools that randomly assign students into classrooms, and using both (1) within-school, across-classroom variation … self-confidence, lowers social engagement, and increases the likelihood of problem behaviors. Effects operate by damaging …Children exposed to Interparental Verbal Conflict (IPVC) exert negative spillovers on their peers. Using nationally representative survey data from middle schools in China, focusing on schools that randomly assign students into classrooms, and using both (1) within-school, across-classroom variation and (2) within-student, year-to-year variation to identify effects, we find that being assigned to… more →
Higher Education and Local Educational Attainment: Evidence from the Establishment of U.S. Colleges
… We investigate how the presence of a college affects local educational attainment using … degree attainment rates 58% higher than runner-up counties and have larger shares of employment in high human capital …We investigate how the presence of a college affects local educational attainment using historical natural experiments in which "runner-up" locations were strongly considered to become college sites but ultimately not chosen for as-good-as-random reasons. While runner-up counties have since had opportunity to establish their own colleges, winners are still more likely to have a college today.… more →
Understanding Teacher Perceptions of Efficacy in Social and Emotional Learning: Toward Equity-Based Approaches to SEL in Urban Schools
… Researchers have noted the importance of equity-based approaches to social and emotional learning (SEL), which emphasize the role of …Researchers have noted the importance of equity-based approaches to social and emotional learning (SEL), which emphasize the role of school environment, including adult beliefs, in student well-being. This article builds on this work by examining 129 teachers’ perceptions of efficacy in SEL. While participants worked in urban schools, were selected from national fellowship programs, and had… more →
Why Have College Completion Rates Increased?
… College completion rates declined from the 1970s to the 1990s. We document that this trend has … student characteristics, institutional resources, and institution attended do not explain much of the change. However, we show that grade inflation can …College completion rates declined from the 1970s to the 1990s. We document that this trend has reversed--since the 1990s, college completion rates have increased. We investigate the reasons for the increase in college graduation rates. Collectively, student characteristics, institutional resources, and institution attended do not explain much of the change. However, we show that grade inflation… more →
Matching Methods for Clustered Observational Studies in Education
… may be implemented for all students in some schools and withheld from students in other schools. When such … treatments are non-randomly allocated, outcomes across the treated and control groups may differ due to the … to make treated and control groups similar in terms of observed characteristics. Recent work in statistics has …Many interventions in education occur in settings where treatments are applied to groups. For example, a reading intervention may be implemented for all students in some schools and withheld from students in other schools. When such treatments are non-randomly allocated, outcomes across the treated and control groups may differ due to the treatment or due to baseline differences between groups.… more →
Fostering Patience in the Classroom: Results from Randomized Educational Intervention
… We evaluate the impact of a randomized educational intervention on children’s … aims to improve the ability to imagine future selves, and encourages forward-looking behavior using a structured curriculum delivered by children’s own …We evaluate the impact of a randomized educational intervention on children’s intertemporal choices. The intervention aims to improve the ability to imagine future selves, and encourages forward-looking behavior using a structured curriculum delivered by children’s own trained teachers. We find that treated students make more patient intertemporal decisions in incentivized experimental tasks. The… more →
Get Real! Inflation Adjustments of Education Finance Data
… Use of education finance data is ubiquitous. Yet, because the … Price Index to three different dates: the Fall, Spring and academic fiscal years. We demonstrate that linking the …Use of education finance data is ubiquitous. Yet, because the academic calendar circumscribes two calendar years, researchers have linked the Consumer Price Index to three different dates: the Fall, Spring and academic fiscal years. We demonstrate that linking the CPI to these different academic year results in identifying different trends in U.S. educational spending during the Great Recession.… more →
Virtual Tutoring with Computer-Assisted Learning: An Experiment in Take-Up and Learning
… We explore the efficacy of an online after-school tutoring program that complements … first session in Year 1. After we reframed the invitation and simplified enrollment, initial take-up in Year 2 rose to …We explore the efficacy of an online after-school tutoring program that complements teacher-provided computer-assisted learning practice. The aim is to scaffold students struggling with online Khan Academy practice at school with low-cost, one-on-one virtual supervision for about an hour a week at home. In a two-year randomized trial with the Toronto District School Board, teachers identified… more →
Toward More Equitable Learning Environments: Insights from Digital Trace Data on Inclusive Instructional Design Features
… Seminal teaching and learning theories converge on the critical role of instructional design in promoting equity and inclusivity …Seminal teaching and learning theories converge on the critical role of instructional design in promoting equity and inclusivity in higher education. However, large-scale evidence remains limited as to which specific design features promote more equitable outcomes across diverse student populations in semester-long college courses. This study proposes a comprehensive and scalable framework to… more →
Why aren’t online learning programs working better in schools: Maybe they need to be more integrated with what is actually taught during whole classroom instruction?
… providing instruction to help students learn concepts and skills—is ubiquitous in US schools. Despite meta-analyses … Using a fixed effect model, we find 60 additional minutes of CAL usage when integrated with classroom instruction … may sometimes reflect biased estimates. We conclude the field should move toward a more nuanced perspective by …Computer-assisted learning (CAL)—educational software providing instruction to help students learn concepts and skills—is ubiquitous in US schools. Despite meta-analyses suggesting benefits, national test scores have declined during rapid CAL adoption. This may reflect insufficient research on how and when CAL complements instruction. Using a fixed effect model, we find 60 additional minutes of… more →
The Maternal Labor Market Effects of State Pre-K Funding
… employment. This study provides national evidence on the maternal labor market effects of state pre-K funding, exploiting variation in public investment across states and over time (academic years 2002-2024). Using a …Public pre-kindergarten (pre-K) is primarily designed as an educational policy for young children but has attracted attention as a potential lever to support maternal employment. This study provides national evidence on the maternal labor market effects of state pre-K funding, exploiting variation in public investment across states and over time (academic years 2002-2024). Using a triple-… more →
A Degree of Choice: Educational Decision-Making after College
… Despite the growing share of college-educated adults returning to higher education, we … the two most common master’s fields of study: business and education. We find that within both fields, students’ …Despite the growing share of college-educated adults returning to higher education, we know little about how individuals weigh the consequential decision to go to graduate school. In this paper, we ask how individuals decide to pursue a particular graduate program within a field of study. We draw on two independent but complementary interview studies to examine this question across the two most… more →
College as a Marriage Market
… that strong assortativity further arises by institution and field of study, especially among high earners from elite programs. … primarily drives matching by institution and field among the college-educated, and that these matches can be …College graduates tend to marry each other. We use detailed Norwegian data to show that strong assortativity further arises by institution and field of study, especially among high earners from elite programs. Admission discontinuities reveal that enrollment itself, rather than selection, primarily drives matching by institution and field among the college-educated, and that these matches can be… more →
Experimental Effects of “Opportunity Gap” and “Achievement Gap” Frames
… Racial equity in education is often framed around “closing the achievement gap,” but many scholars argue this frame … a preregistered survey experiment, I estimate the effects of framing racial equity in education around “achievement … "racial equity" … David M. Quinn … Policy, Politics, and Governance … K-12 Education … Equity … Race, ethnicity, …Racial equity in education is often framed around “closing the achievement gap,” but many scholars argue this frame perpetuates deficit mindsets. The “opportunity gap” (OG) frame has been offered as an alternative to focus attention on structural injustices. In a preregistered survey experiment, I estimate the effects of framing racial equity in education around “achievement gaps” (AGs) vs OGs. I… more →
A Bibliometric Review of Research on Inequality of Educational Achievement, 1934 to 2023
… In this bibliometric review of the research landscape on achievement gaps, we analyze temporal trends and geographic distributions, identify key scholars and …In this bibliometric review of the research landscape on achievement gaps, we analyze temporal trends and geographic distributions, identify key scholars and publications, and uncover the intellectual structure and thematic focus of achievement gap research. By examining 1,607 achievement gap studies between 1937 and 2023, we find that the scholarship has evolved through four distinct stages: pre… more →
Suspended from Work and School? Impacts of Layoff Events and Unemployment Insurance on Student Disciplinary Incidence
… We examine the impact of local labor market shocks and state unemployment insurance (UI) policies on student discipline in U.S. public schools. Analyzing school-level discipline …We examine the impact of local labor market shocks and state unemployment insurance (UI) policies on student discipline in U.S. public schools. Analyzing school-level discipline data and firm-level layoffs in 23 states, we find that layoffs have little effect on discipline rates on average. However, effects differ across the UI benefit distribution. At the lowest benefit level ($265/week), a mass… more →
Teachers in our Midst: Using Experienced School Staff to Solve Teacher Shortages
… Teacher shortages are a persistent challenge in the United States. I evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative pilot program that allowed principals to hand-select experienced staff members and paraeducators already working in schools to lead …Teacher shortages are a persistent challenge in the United States. I evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative pilot program that allowed principals to hand-select experienced staff members and paraeducators already working in schools to lead classrooms. Pilot educators are predominantly Black or African American. Districts reported randomly assigning students to teachers, and my analysis… more →
The extent and consequences of teacher biases against immigrants
… We study the extent and consequences of biases against immigrants exhibited by high school teachers in Finland. Compared to native students, immigrant students receive 0.06 standard …We study the extent and consequences of biases against immigrants exhibited by high school teachers in Finland. Compared to native students, immigrant students receive 0.06 standard deviation units lower scores from teachers than from blind graders. This effect is almost entirely driven by grading penalties incurred by high-performing immigrant students and is largest in subjects where teachers… more →
Rich Grad, Poor Grad: Family Background and College Major Choice
… Expected earnings matter for college major choices, and majors differ in both their average earnings and the age profile of their earnings. We show that students' family background …Expected earnings matter for college major choices, and majors differ in both their average earnings and the age profile of their earnings. We show that students' family background is strongly related to the earnings paths of the major they choose. Students with more educated parents, especially those who have graduate degrees, choose majors with lower early-career earnings but much faster… more →
Replicating and Extending Effects of “Achievement Gap” Discourse
… Scholars argue the “racial achievement gap” frame perpetuates deficit … data from two survey experiments using a teacher sample and an MTurk sample. We find: (1) the effect of “achievement gap” (AG) language on equity prioritization …Scholars argue the “racial achievement gap” frame perpetuates deficit mindsets. Previously, we found teachers gave lower priority to racial equity when disparities were framed as “achievement gaps” versus “inequality in educational outcomes.” In this brief, we analyze data from two survey experiments using a teacher sample and an MTurk sample. We find: (1) the effect of “achievement gap” (AG)… more →
Unequal Opportunity Spreaders: Higher COVID-19 Deaths with Later School Closure in the U.S.
… Mixed evidence on the relationship between school closure and COVID-19 prevalence could reflect focus on large-scale levels of geography, limited ability to address endogeneity, and …Mixed evidence on the relationship between school closure and COVID-19 prevalence could reflect focus on large-scale levels of geography, limited ability to address endogeneity, and demographic variation. Using county-level CDC COVID-19 data through June 15, 2020, two matching strategies address potential heterogeneity: nearest geographic neighbor and propensity scores. Within nearest neighboring… more →