EdWorkingPapers
Spending More on the Poor? A Comprehensive Summary of State-Specific Responses to School Finance Reforms from 1990–2014
… Sixty-seven school finance reforms (SFRs), a combination of court-ordered and legislative reforms, have taken place since 1990; however, there is little empirical evidence on the heterogeneity of SFR effects. In this study, we estimate …Sixty-seven school finance reforms (SFRs), a combination of court-ordered and legislative reforms, have taken place since 1990; however, there is little empirical evidence on the heterogeneity of SFR effects. In this study, we estimate the effects of SFRs on revenues and expenditures between 1990 and 2014 for 26 states. We find that, on average, per pupil spending increased, especially in low-… more →
How Much Does Teacher Quality Vary Across Teacher Preparation Programs? Reanalyses from Six States
… programs (TPPs) accountable for teacher value-added to student test scores. Yet it is unclear whether teacher … practices can make differences between TPPs appear larger and more significant than they are. We reanalyze TPP … York, Louisiana, Missouri, Washington, Texas, and Florida—using appropriate methods implemented by our new caterpillar …At least sixteen US states have taken steps toward holding teacher preparation programs (TPPs) accountable for teacher value-added to student test scores. Yet it is unclear whether teacher quality differences between TPPs are large enough to make an accountability system worthwhile. Several statistical practices can make differences between TPPs appear larger and more significant than they are… more →
An Evaluation of Credit Recovery as an Intervention for High School Students Who Fail Courses
… that high school students take after previously failing the course. Many have suggested that CR courses are helping … This study analyzes administrative data from the state of North Carolina to evaluate these claims using full data from public and private CR providers. Findings indicate that students who …Credit recovery (CR) refers to online courses that high school students take after previously failing the course. Many have suggested that CR courses are helping students to graduate from high school without corresponding increases in academic skills. This study analyzes administrative data from the state of North Carolina to evaluate these claims using full data from public and private CR… more →
An Experimental Evaluation of Arts Field Trips
… This paper presents results of a multi-visit, longitudinal experiment on the academic and social-emotional effects of arts-based field trips. We …This paper presents results of a multi-visit, longitudinal experiment on the academic and social-emotional effects of arts-based field trips. We randomly assign fourth and fifth grade students to receive arts-based field trips throughout the school year or to serve as a control. Treatment students express greater tolerance for people with different opinions and a desire to consume arts.… more →
Regulatory Arbitrage in Teacher Hiring and Retention: Evidence from Massachusetts Charter Schools
… by exploring how teacher retention varies with teacher and school quality in Massachusetts. Charters are more likely … licenses required for higher paying public sector jobs. The model suggests charter schools create positive … public schools by increasing the average quality of available teachers. … Charter Schools, Teacher Quality, …We study personnel flexibility in charter schools by exploring how teacher retention varies with teacher and school quality in Massachusetts. Charters are more likely to lose their highest and lowest value-added teachers. Low performers tend to exit public education, while high performers tend to switch to traditional public schools. To rationalize these findings, we propose a model in which… more →
Unequal Pay for Equal Work? Unpacking the Gender Gap in Principal Compensation
… We investigate the male–female gap in principal compensation in state and national data: detailed longitudinal personnel records from the state of Missouri and repeated cross-sections from the nationally …We investigate the male–female gap in principal compensation in state and national data: detailed longitudinal personnel records from the state of Missouri and repeated cross-sections from the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). In both data sets, we estimate substantively important compensation gaps for school leaders. In Missouri, female principals make… more →
Gender Stereotypes in the Classroom and Effects on Achievement
… We study the effect of elementary school teachers’ beliefs about gender roles on … teachers are prevented from self-selecting into schools, and conditional on school, students are allocated to teachers …We study the effect of elementary school teachers’ beliefs about gender roles on student achievement. We exploit a natural experiment where teachers are prevented from self-selecting into schools, and conditional on school, students are allocated to teachers randomly. We show that girls who are taught for longer than a year by teachers with traditional gender views have lower performance in… more →
Advisor Value-Added and Student Outcomes: Evidence from Randomly Assigned College Advisors
… This paper provides the first causal evidence on the impact of college advisor quality on student outcomes. To do so, we … improves freshman year GPA, time to complete freshman year and four-year graduation rates. Additionally, higher advisor …This paper provides the first causal evidence on the impact of college advisor quality on student outcomes. To do so, we exploit a unique setting where students are randomly assigned to faculty advisors during their first year of college. We find that higher advisor value-added (VA) substantially improves freshman year GPA, time to complete freshman year and four-year graduation rates.… more →
How college credit in high school impacts postsecondary course-taking: the role of AP exams
… transcripts from in-state, public institutions and estimate causal impacts using a regression discontinuity … identical AP performance but who receive different offers of college credit. I find that female students who earn … of study, with no observed impacts for males. As a result, the male-female gap in STEM courses taken shrinks by roughly …This paper uses Advanced Placement (AP) exams to examine how receiving college credit in high school alters students’ subsequent human capital investment. Using data from one large state, I link high school students to postsecondary transcripts from in-state, public institutions and estimate causal impacts using a regression discontinuity that compares students with essentially identical AP… more →
Stress in Boom Times: Understanding Teachers’ Economic Anxiety in a High Cost Urban District
… to live comfortably where they work, we know little about the systematic impacts of affordability on teachers’ well-being, particularly in … Francisco Unified School District to identify the patterns and prevalence of economic anxiety among teachers and assess …Despite growing concern over teachers’ ability to live comfortably where they work, we know little about the systematic impacts of affordability on teachers’ well-being, particularly in high-cost urban areas. We use novel survey data from San Francisco Unified School District to identify the patterns and prevalence of economic anxiety among teachers and assess how this anxiety relates to… more →
Causal Mechanisms of Relative Age Effects on Adolescent Risky Behaviours
… are attracting growing attention in academic research and public policy, yet their underlying mechanisms remain … isolate relative age effects from absolute age and season-of-birth confounders. Relatively younger students are … analyses using data from a connected survey (i.e., the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs …Age differences between classmates are attracting growing attention in academic research and public policy, yet their underlying mechanisms remain understudied. We examine how relative age affects adolescents’ risky behaviors across Europe. Using Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey data and a two-stage least squares (2SLS) strategy, we provide causal estimates that isolate… more →
Online Tutoring, School Performance, and School-to-Work Transitions: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial
… effectively enhance school performance, yet their medium- and longer-term impacts on labor market outcomes remain less … with 839 secondary school students in Germany to examine the effects of an online tutoring program for low-performing students on …Tutoring programs for low-performing students, delivered in-person or online, effectively enhance school performance, yet their medium- and longer-term impacts on labor market outcomes remain less understood. To address this gap, we conduct a randomized controlled trial with 839 secondary school students in Germany to examine the effects of an online tutoring program for low-performing… more →
Selling Student Success: A Critical Analysis of Predictive Analytics Vendors in Higher Education
… from 15 vendors to examine these companies’ marketing of predictive analytics. Drawing on Snow and Benford’s (1988) framing theory, we investigated how they construct the problem of student success and how they position their …As predictive analytics become increasingly embedded in higher education, commercial vendors offering these tools play a growing role in shaping institutional decision making, particularly through identifying students deemed “at risk.” In this qualitative study, we analyzed 161 publicly available materials from 15 vendors to examine these companies’ marketing of predictive analytics. Drawing… more →
High School Effects on Civic Engagement
… Preparing young people for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship is cited as a fundamental purpose of public …Preparing young people for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship is cited as a fundamental purpose of public education, yet little is known about whether or how K-12 schools impact civic engagement. Using education records, birth records, and national voting records for nine cohorts of ninth-grade students in Indiana, I estimate and assess the validity of high school effects on adult… more →
Leveraging IEPs to Understand Special Education Services at Scale
… guide $14 billion in special education services. However, the content of IEPs remains unexplored, primarily because they have been … five settings, five service modalities, six group types, and five personnel types. This information helps understand …7.5 million (15%) U.S. public school students have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that guide $14 billion in special education services. However, the content of IEPs remains unexplored, primarily because they have been historically inaccessible to researchers at scale. In this study, we develop a coding taxonomy to categorize IEP services from digital IEP records for an entire state.… more →
The Graduation Part II: Graduate Program Graduation Rates
… graduation rates using administrative data covering public and nonprofit graduate students in Texas. Despite … graduate students complete their programs, only 58 percent of who started their program in 2004 graduated within 6 years. Between the 2004 and 2013 entering cohorts, graduate student …This paper documents several facts about graduate program graduation rates using administrative data covering public and nonprofit graduate students in Texas. Despite conventional wisdom that most graduate students complete their programs, only 58 percent of who started their program in 2004 graduated within 6 years. Between the 2004 and 2013 entering cohorts, graduate student completion rates… more →
Beyond the silver bullet: Unveiling multiple pathways to school turnaround
… on school improvement has accumulated an extensive list of factors that facilitate turnarounds at underperforming … Given that contextual or resource constraints may limit the possibilities of putting all of these factors in place, an important question is what is necessary and sufficient to turn a school around. We use a qualitative …Research on school improvement has accumulated an extensive list of factors that facilitate turnarounds at underperforming schools. Given that contextual or resource constraints may limit the possibilities of putting all of these factors in place, an important question is what is necessary and sufficient to turn a school around. We use a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of 77 Swedish… more →
The Effects of Teacher-Student Demographic Matching on Social-Emotional Learning
… A growing body of research shows that students benefit when they … use student-fixed effects to exploit changes over time in the proportion of teachers within a school grade who … effect on social-emotional measures, test scores, and behavioral outcomes. We find improvements for students in …A growing body of research shows that students benefit when they demographically match their teachers. However, little is known about how matching affects social-emotional development. We use student-fixed effects to exploit changes over time in the proportion of teachers within a school grade who demographically match a student to estimate matching's effect on social-emotional measures, test… more →
Beyond Prescriptive Reforms: An Examination of North Carolina’s Flexible School Restart Program
… While multiple studies have examined the impact of school turnaround, less is known about reforms under the … positive NCR effect can be explained by decreased teacher and principal turnover. These results provide evidence to …While multiple studies have examined the impact of school turnaround, less is known about reforms under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). To advance this literature, we examine North Carolina’s Restart (NCR) model. NCR aligns with ESSA by giving school leaders increased flexibility. Also, NCR differs from previous turnaround models by repackaging a traditionally sanction-based approach to… more →
Financial Deregulation, School Finance, and Student Achievement
… school spending impacts student achievement by exploiting the US interstate branching deregulation as state tax revenue … leads to an increase in per-pupil total revenue and expenditure. The rise in revenue is primarily attributed … increase is more prominent in low-income school districts. Using restricted-use student assessments from the Nation’s …This paper studies how school spending impacts student achievement by exploiting the US interstate branching deregulation as state tax revenue shocks. Leveraging school finance data from universal school districts, our difference-in-differences estimation reveals that deregulation leads to an increase in per-pupil total revenue and expenditure. The rise in revenue is primarily attributed to… more →
Strategic Disclosure of Test Scores: Evidence from US College Admissions
… The impact of test-optional college admissions policies depends on … We analyze individual applicants’ standardized test scores and disclosure behavior to 50 major US colleges for entry in fall 2021, when Covid-19 …The impact of test-optional college admissions policies depends on whether applicants act strategically in disclosing test scores. We analyze individual applicants’ standardized test scores and disclosure behavior to 50 major US colleges for entry in fall 2021, when Covid-19 prompted widespread adoption of test-optional policies. Applicants withheld low scores and disclosed high scores,… more →
Teachers’ use of class time and student achievement
… teacher devotes more class time to individual practice and assessment. In contrast, students score higher in English … Class time allocation predicts test scores separate from the quality of the teacher’s instruction during the activities. These …We study teachers’ choices about how to allocate class time across different instructional activities, for example, lecturing, open discussion, or individual practice. Our data come from secondary schools in England, specifically classes preceding GCSE exams. Students score higher in math when their teacher devotes more class time to individual practice and assessment. In contrast, students… more →
You Are Who You Eat With: Academic Peer Effects from School Lunch Lines
… which students frequently stand next to one another in the lunch line. I use this `revealed' friendship network to … where social connections exist, but the relative strength of these connections. Equally weighting all peers in a … group assumes that all peers are equally important and may bias estimates by underweighting important peers and …Using daily lunch transaction data from NYC public schools, I determine which students frequently stand next to one another in the lunch line. I use this `revealed' friendship network to estimate academic peer effects in elementary school classrooms, improving on previous work by defining not only where social connections exist, but the relative strength of these connections. Equally weighting… more →
Instructional Coaching Personnel and Program Scalability
… alternative to one-size-fits-all teacher training and development in part because it is purposefully … and implemented by an individual coach. But, how much of the benefit of coaching as an instructional improvement …Instructional coaching is an attractive alternative to one-size-fits-all teacher training and development in part because it is purposefully differentiated: programming is aligned to individual teachers’ needs and implemented by an individual coach. But, how much of the benefit of coaching as an instructional improvement model depends on the specific coach with whom a teacher works?… more →
Tightening the Leaky Pipeline(s): The Role of Beliefs About Ability in STEM Major Choice
… To study beliefs about ability and STEM major choice, I conduct a field experiment where I … that they are above average in their top fields of study. I find that STEM students are more likely to switch … and that non-STEM students fail to switch into STEM at the same rates as other fields. I also find that learning you …To study beliefs about ability and STEM major choice, I conduct a field experiment where I provide students with information that they are above average in their top fields of study. I find that STEM students are more likely to switch out of their major and that non-STEM students fail to switch into STEM at the same rates as other fields. I also find that learning you are above average in your… more →
Do Refugee Students Affect the Academic Achievement of Peers? Evidence from a Large Urban School District
… examines whether attending school with refugees affects the academic outcomes of non-refugee students. Leveraging variation in the share of refugees within schools and across grades, I find that increasing the share of …Policy debate on refugee resettlement focuses on perceived adverse effects on local communities, with sparse credible evidence to ascertain its impact. This paper examines whether attending school with refugees affects the academic outcomes of non-refugee students. Leveraging variation in the share of refugees within schools and across grades, I find that increasing the share of grade-level… more →
Teacher Preparation Programs and Graduates' Growth in Instructional Effectiveness
… examined whether there are average differences in levels of teaching effectiveness among graduates from different … average levels of teaching effectiveness. This is the first study to examine whether there are average … growth, rather than levels, in teaching effectiveness, and to consider which features predict this growth. Examining …Many prior studies have examined whether there are average differences in levels of teaching effectiveness among graduates from different teacher preparation programs (TPPs); other studies have investigated which features of preparation predict graduates’ average levels of teaching effectiveness. This is the first study to examine whether there are average differences between TPPs in terms of… more →
Teacher-to-classroom assignment and student achievement
… We study the effects of counterfactual teacher-to-classroom assignments on average student achievement in elementary and middle schools in the US. We use the Measures of …We study the effects of counterfactual teacher-to-classroom assignments on average student achievement in elementary and middle schools in the US. We use the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) experiment to semiparametrically identify the average reallocation effects (AREs) of such assignments. Our findings suggest that changes in within-district teacher assignments could have appreciable… more →
Catching up or Falling Behind: Measuring Middle School Achievement Trajectories for College Readiness
… presents a framework that uses academic trajectories in the middle grades for identifying students in need of intervention and providing targeted support. We apply a set of academic …This study presents a framework that uses academic trajectories in the middle grades for identifying students in need of intervention and providing targeted support. We apply a set of academic college readiness benchmarks to rich longitudinal data for more than 360,000 students in 5900 schools across 49 states and the District of Columbia. In both math and reading, each student was assessed up… more →
Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It
… policies, U.S. teacher shortages are projected to grow in the coming years. Teacher turnover is an important source of these shortages. About 8% of teachers leave the profession … shortages, high turnover rates lower student achievement and are costly for schools. This report examines turnover …Without changes in current policies, U.S. teacher shortages are projected to grow in the coming years. Teacher turnover is an important source of these shortages. About 8% of teachers leave the profession each year, two-thirds of them for reasons other than retirement. Another 8% shift to different schools each year. In addition to aggravating teacher shortages, high turnover rates lower… more →
Identifying Principal Improvement
… Tennessee over more than a decade, this paper estimates the job performance returns to principal experience as measured by student, teacher, and principal outcomes. I find that principals improve … higher ratings from supervisors, and lower rates of teacher turnover. However, improvement in student …Using statewide data from Tennessee over more than a decade, this paper estimates the job performance returns to principal experience as measured by student, teacher, and principal outcomes. I find that principals improve substantially over time, evidenced by higher student achievement, higher ratings from supervisors, and lower rates of teacher turnover. However, improvement in student… more →
Forced to Redshirt: Quasi-Experimental Impacts of Delayed Kindergarten Entry
… We provide causal estimates of the effects of delayed kindergarten entry on achievement … peer group comparisons, we identify impacts on achievement and gifted or disability identifications in third through …We provide causal estimates of the effects of delayed kindergarten entry on achievement outcomes by exploiting a policy change in the birthdate enrollment cutoff in North Carolina that forced children born in a six-week window to redshirt. Using multiple peer group comparisons, we identify impacts on achievement and gifted or disability identifications in third through fifth grades. Delayed… more →
Making a Match: How Successful High-Poverty Schools Hire Teachers
… teacher hiring is fundamental to improving schools and yet few studies investigate this process. In this exploratory study of six successful, high-poverty schools (three charter, three district) in one Massachusetts city, we analyze the policy contexts that influenced hiring and examine the …Effective teacher hiring is fundamental to improving schools and yet few studies investigate this process. In this exploratory study of six successful, high-poverty schools (three charter, three district) in one Massachusetts city, we analyze the policy contexts that influenced hiring and examine the schools’ hiring practices. Through interviews with 142 teachers and administrators, we learned… more →
Take Two! SAT Retaking and College Enrollment Gaps
… Only half of SAT-takers retake the exam, with even lower retake rates among low income and underrepresented minority (URM) students. We exploit …Only half of SAT-takers retake the exam, with even lower retake rates among low income and underrepresented minority (URM) students. We exploit discontinuous jumps in retake probabilities at multiples of 100, driven by left-digit bias, to estimate retaking’s causal effects. Retaking substantially improves SAT scores and increases four-year college enrollment rates, particularly for low income… more →
Improving Low-Performing Schools: A Meta-Analysis of Impact Evaluation Studies
… The public narrative surrounding efforts to improve … how long it takes, which policies are most effective, and which contexts respond best to intervention? We meta-analyze 141 estimates from 67 studies of turnaround policies implemented post-NCLB. On average, …The public narrative surrounding efforts to improve low-performing K-12 schools in the U.S. has been notably gloomy. Observers argue that either nothing works or we don’t know what works. At the same time, the federal government is asking localities to implement evidence-based interventions. But what is known empirically about whether school improvement works, how long it takes, which policies… more →
A Cautionary Tale of Tutoring Hard-to-Reach Students in Kenya
… lost learning time. Tutoring is backed by a rigorous body of research, but it is unclear whether it can be delivered effectively remotely. We study the effect of teacher-student phone call interventions in … Schools (n=105) were randomly assigned for their 3rd, 5th and 6th graders (n=8,319) to receive one of two versions of a …Covid-19-induced school closures generated great interest in tutoring as a strategy to make up for lost learning time. Tutoring is backed by a rigorous body of research, but it is unclear whether it can be delivered effectively remotely. We study the effect of teacher-student phone call interventions in Kenya when schools were closed. Schools (n=105) were randomly assigned for their 3rd, 5th… more →
Learning to Work Towards Goals: A Sequential Evaluation of the Effect of Goal-Setting Course on Academic and Soft Skills
… evaluates a soft-skills course implemented in Ugandan and Kenyan primary schools that replaced academic review time … An exploratory evaluation in Uganda provided evidence of positive impacts on girls' test scores. A confirmatory evaluation in Kenya found that the course led to improvements in self-reported soft skills, …This study sequentially evaluates a soft-skills course implemented in Ugandan and Kenyan primary schools that replaced academic review time with lessons on goal-setting and related skills as students prepared for high-stakes primary school-leaving exams. An exploratory evaluation in Uganda provided evidence of positive impacts on girls' test scores. A confirmatory evaluation in Kenya found… more →
The Labor Market Impact of K-11 vs. K-12
… birth cohorts exogenously received different amounts of schooling. We use this natural experiment to evaluate the long-run labor market impact of having an 11-year versus … … Scott Abrahams … Paola Ugalde A. … Policy, Politics, and Governance … K-12 Education … High schools … Returns to …In 1945, Louisiana extended secondary education from 11 years to 12. Since many students followed diploma-based stopping rules, consecutive birth cohorts exogenously received different amounts of schooling. We use this natural experiment to evaluate the long-run labor market impact of having an 11-year versus a 12-year program. Using a difference-in-differences analysis, we find that cohorts… more →
The Impact of High-Impact Tutoring on Student Attendance: Evidence from a State Initiative
… Student absenteeism surged during and after the pandemic, harming engagement and achievement. We evaluate the impact of Washington DC's High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) …Student absenteeism surged during and after the pandemic, harming engagement and achievement. We evaluate the impact of Washington DC's High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Initiative—designed to mitigate learning loss through targeted academic supports—on student absenteeism. Using daily attendance data and a within-student fixed effects design, we find that students were 1.2 percentage points less… more →
Labor supply, learning time, and the efficiency of school spending: Evidence from school finance reforms
… Instead, schools raised quantity measured by time diaries of staff and student hours, more than spending, with most hours added … capital … School reform … Labor supply, learning time, and the efficiency of school spending: Evidence from school …Does school spending raise achievement? I show that effects, benchmarked by schools’ daily value added, are one-tenth to one-third as large as spending growth. Using school finance reforms for identification, I show that schools did not raise quality measured by value added. Instead, schools raised quantity measured by time diaries of staff and student hours, more than spending, with most… more →
Bureaucracy and Burden: Understanding Take-up of a Need-Based Financial Aid Program
… college financial aid, often only reach a fraction of eligible beneficiaries. We examine this problem through the lens of Michigan’s Tuition Incentive Program (TIP), a … data on over one million Michigan public-school students, and 55 interviews with front-line administrators, high school …Social welfare programs, including college financial aid, often only reach a fraction of eligible beneficiaries. We examine this problem through the lens of Michigan’s Tuition Incentive Program (TIP), a state need-based grant aid program. We conduct a large-scale mixed-methods study using data on over one million Michigan public-school students, and 55 interviews with front-line administrators… more →
Leveraging Modern Machine Learning to Improve Early Warning Systems and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Early Childhood
… This study focuses on improving the predictive power of early warning systems (EWSs) to decrease chronic … in Boston Public Schools (N=6,698), we demonstrate how and why two modern machine learning algorithms—the Synthetic …This study focuses on improving the predictive power of early warning systems (EWSs) to decrease chronic absenteeism in early childhood. Using a demographically diverse sample of students followed from PreK to third grade in Boston Public Schools (N=6,698), we demonstrate how and why two modern machine learning algorithms—the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) and Extreme… more →
Recent Immigration Raids Increased Student Absences
… Local immigration raids expanded dramatically across the U.S. during the first two months of 2025. Anecdotal accounts suggest that these raids … daily times series of school absences spanning the current and two prior school years from five school districts serving …Local immigration raids expanded dramatically across the U.S. during the first two months of 2025. Anecdotal accounts suggest that these raids increased student absences from schools because parents fear being separated from their children. This study evaluates this claim using a daily times series of school absences spanning the current and two prior school years from five school districts… more →
Do Dual Enrollment Students Realize Better Long-Run Earnings? Variations in Financial Outcomes Among Key Student Groups
… after high school graduation than previously analyzed in the existing literature. Using longitudinal administrative data that span K-12, higher education, and the workforce, we conduct a propensity score analysis to … understand how dual credit participation among the class of 2011 graduates from high schools in one metropolitan area …This study considers whether dual enrollment is associated with students’ financial outcomes over a longer, twelve-year time horizon after high school graduation than previously analyzed in the existing literature. Using longitudinal administrative data that span K-12, higher education, and the workforce, we conduct a propensity score analysis to understand how dual credit participation among… more →
Integrating Open Science Principles into Quasi-Experimental Social Science Research
… Quasi-experimental methods are a cornerstone of applied social science, providing critical answers to causal questions that inform policy and practice. Although open science principles have influenced experimental research norms across the social sciences, these practices are rarely implemented …Quasi-experimental methods are a cornerstone of applied social science, providing critical answers to causal questions that inform policy and practice. Although open science principles have influenced experimental research norms across the social sciences, these practices are rarely implemented in quasi-experimental research. In this paper, we explore how open science practices can enhance… more →
The Effects of Virtual Tutoring on Young Readers: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial
… studied in grade five or above. We present findings from the first randomized controlled trial of virtual tutoring for young children (grades K-2). Students … SD). Students initially scoring well below benchmark and first graders experienced the largest gains from 1:1 …In-person tutoring has been shown to improve academic achievement. Though less well-researched, virtual tutoring has also shown a positive effect on achievement but has only been studied in grade five or above. We present findings from the first randomized controlled trial of virtual tutoring for young children (grades K-2). Students were assigned to 1:1 tutoring, 2:1 tutoring, or a control… more →
Do the Effects Persist? An Examination of Long-term Effects After Students Leave Turnaround Schools
… received widespread attention, but a critical limitation of the current literature is the lack of evidence around whether these extensive and costly interventions improve students’ long-term outcomes …Whole-school reforms have received widespread attention, but a critical limitation of the current literature is the lack of evidence around whether these extensive and costly interventions improve students’ long-term outcomes after they leave reform schools. Leveraging Tennessee’s statewide turnaround reforms, we use difference-in-differences models to estimate the effect of attending a… more →
Ahead of the Game? Course-Taking Patterns under a Math Pathways Reform
… A controversial, equity-focused mathematics reform in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) featured … on mathematics course-taking across successive cohorts of SFUSD students who spanned the reform’s implementation. We observe large changes in ninth and tenth grades (e.g., delaying Algebra I and Geometry). …A controversial, equity-focused mathematics reform in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) featured delaying Algebra I until ninth grade for all students. This descriptive study examines student-level longitudinal data on mathematics course-taking across successive cohorts of SFUSD students who spanned the reform’s implementation. We observe large changes in ninth and tenth grades… more →
Relaxing Electoral Constraints in Local Education Funding
… loosened constraints on some local governments by lowering the share of votes required to pass school capital improvement bond … is concentrated in more racially diverse jurisdictions and that loosening these electoral constraints completely …We study a California policy that loosened constraints on some local governments by lowering the share of votes required to pass school capital improvement bond referendums. We show that the policy change yielded larger tax proposals that received less support from voters, yet led to a doubling of approved spending. We show that this effect is concentrated in more racially diverse… more →
Resource for Self-Determination or Perpetuation of Linguistic Imposition: Examining the Impact of English Learner Classification among Alaska Native Students
… we find evidence that among students who score near the EL classification threshold in kindergarten, EL … Native students’ academic outcomes, especially in the 3rd and 4th grades. Negative impacts are not found for non-Alaska … culture … Resource for Self-Determination or Perpetuation of Linguistic Imposition: Examining the Impact of English …Federal law defines eligibility for English learner (EL) classification differently for Indigenous students compared to non-Indigenous students. Indigenous students, unlike non-Indigenous students, are not required to have a non-English home or primary language. A critical question, therefore, is how EL classification impacts Indigenous students’ educational outcomes. This study explores this… more →