EdWorkingPapers
Equity- oriented accountability for charter schools: Lessons from Massachusetts
… Because of the many special characteristics of charter schools, policy makers who aim to promote a system of charters schools that ensures fair access to, and fair treatment of, disadvantaged students will need a …Because of the many special characteristics of charter schools, policy makers who aim to promote a system of charters schools that ensures fair access to, and fair treatment of, disadvantaged students will need a public accountability system oriented, at least in part, to equity concerns. Massachusetts, with its single statewide authorizer, as well as its system of periodic site visits to schools… more →
Heterogeneous Effects of Early Algebra across California Middle Schools
… scores to place students into 8th grade Algebra courses, and use a regression discontinuity design to estimate average … grade rise by 0.05 standard deviations. Women, students of color, and English-language learners benefit … from placement into early Algebra. Importantly, the benefits of 8th grade algebra are substantially larger in …How should schools assign students to more rigorous math courses so as best to help their academic outcomes? We identify several hundred California middle schools that used 7th grade test scores to place students into 8th grade Algebra courses, and use a regression discontinuity design to estimate average impacts and heterogeneity across schools. Enrolling in 8th grade algebra boosts students’… more →
Delayed Benefits: Effects of California School District Bond Elections on Achievement by Socioeconomic Status
… Contradictory evidence of the relationship between education funding and student achievement could reflect heterogeneous effects …Contradictory evidence of the relationship between education funding and student achievement could reflect heterogeneous effects by revenue source or student characteristics. This study examines potential heterogeneous effects of a particular type of local revenue – bond funds for capital investments – on achievement by socioeconomic status. Comparing California school districts within a narrow… more →
State Merit Aid: Effects on College Enrollment, Labor Market Outcomes, and Government Revenue
… This paper evaluates long-run effects of state merit aid programs that subsidize in-state college … Using national survey data on college enrollment and U.S. Census data, I exploit staggered program adoption … men. Welfare analysis shows net losses for students and the implementing state, with additional negative fiscal …This paper evaluates long-run effects of state merit aid programs that subsidize in-state college attendance. Using national survey data on college enrollment and U.S. Census data, I exploit staggered program adoption across states. Merit aid shifts students from out-of-state to in-state institutions, which are on average relatively less selective. There is little evidence that these programs… more →
Are Work-Based Professional Skills Associated with Postsecondary Entrance and Persistence? Novel Evidence from the Cristo Rey Network
… Professional skills such as initiative, communication, and adaptability are thought to shape postsecondary success, … in school settings. This study uses employer ratings of students’ professional skills gathered through corporate … persists even after controlling for selectivity of the institution of initial enrollment. … Lauren C. Russell … …Professional skills such as initiative, communication, and adaptability are thought to shape postsecondary success, but most evidence comes from self- or teacher-reported measures collected in school settings. This study uses employer ratings of students’ professional skills gathered through corporate internships undertaken by economically disadvantaged high school students. After controlling for… more →
Understanding Disruptions: Causes of and Variation in Lost Instructional Time
… Virtual instruction has boomed after the COVID-19 pandemic, including the use of virtual environments within in-person schools. But, … … Tutoring … Understanding Disruptions: Causes of and Variation in Lost Instructional Time …Virtual instruction has boomed after the COVID-19 pandemic, including the use of virtual environments within in-person schools. But, research has provided little evidence about student experiences on these virtual platforms, nor how to improve the use of these platforms. Through natural language processing techniques, this study examines over 26,000 virtual tutoring sessions that took place… more →
School Choice and Household Participation in School District Politics
… We examine whether policies that enable families to opt out of locally provided public services are associated with … of school choice policy in Michigan: inter-district choice and charter schools. Do parents who send their children to … We conduct our analysis by matching student level data to the Michigan voter file based on addresses, to identify voter …We examine whether policies that enable families to opt out of locally provided public services are associated with reduced political participation. Our study is focused on two types of school choice policy in Michigan: inter-district choice and charter schools. Do parents who send their children to schools of choice or charter schools vote at lower or higher rates than those who use their… more →
Unequal Access: How Public Library Closures Affect Educational Performance
… 2008 to 2019, 766 public library outlets closed across the US, reducing access to these critical resources. This study examines the effect of public library outlet closures on library use and educational outcomes in nearby school districts. Using …Local public institutions, such as public libraries, offer access to low-cost educational resources, potentially mitigating human capital investment disparities. However, from 2008 to 2019, 766 public library outlets closed across the US, reducing access to these critical resources. This study examines the effect of public library outlet closures on library use and educational outcomes in nearby… more →
Local Labor Market Alignment of Short-Term Certificate Programs
… in developing STCs, little evidence exists about where and when STCs are opened and whether community colleges open new programs of study in coordination with labor market trends. Using public workforce and postsecondary data, I examine …Short-term certificate (STC) programs at community colleges represent a longstanding policy priority to align accelerated postsecondary credentials with job opportunities in local labor markets. Despite large investments in developing STCs, little evidence exists about where and when STCs are opened and whether community colleges open new programs of study in coordination with labor market trends… more →
Information Frictions and Teacher Turnover
… Many decentralized matching markets experience high rates of instability due to information frictions. This paper … these frictions in a particularly unstable U.S. market, the labor market for first-year school teachers. We develop and estimate a dynamic, partial equilibrium model of labor …Many decentralized matching markets experience high rates of instability due to information frictions. This paper analyzes these frictions in a particularly unstable U.S. market, the labor market for first-year school teachers. We develop and estimate a dynamic, partial equilibrium model of labor mobility that incorporates non-pecuniary information frictions for school climate and teacher… more →
Does One Plus One Always Equal Two? Examining Complementarities in Educational Interventions
… impose disproportionate burden on communities that lack the resources to implement these policies effectively. In an … community-level interventions focusing on similar needs and providing resources to build capacity in these … could improve outcomes by improving the effectiveness of individual-level interventions. I find that the extended …Public policies targeting individuals based on need often impose disproportionate burden on communities that lack the resources to implement these policies effectively. In an elementary school setting, I examine whether community-level interventions focusing on similar needs and providing resources to build capacity in these communities could improve outcomes by improving the effectiveness of… more →
“Refining” Our Understanding of Early Career Teacher Skill Development: Evidence From Classroom Observations
… teachers improve substantially in their first years on the job, but we know remarkably little about the nature of this skill development. Using data from Tennessee, we … when observing novice teachers: classroom management and presenting content. Struggling with classroom management, …Novice teachers improve substantially in their first years on the job, but we know remarkably little about the nature of this skill development. Using data from Tennessee, we leverage a feature of the classroom observation protocol that asks school administrators to identify an item on which the teacher should focus their improvement efforts. This “area of refinement” overcomes a key measurement… more →
Assessing Atlanta’s Placed-Based College Scholarship
… We investigate whether and how Achieve Atlanta’s college scholarship and associated … experiencing low household income. Qualifying for the scholarship of up to $5,000/year does not meaningfully change college …We investigate whether and how Achieve Atlanta’s college scholarship and associated services impact college enrollment, persistence, and graduation among Atlanta Public School graduates experiencing low household income. Qualifying for the scholarship of up to $5,000/year does not meaningfully change college enrollment among those near the high school GPA eligibility thresholds. However,… more →
Who Benefits From Attending Effective Schools?
… We estimate the longer-run effects of attending an effective high school (one that improves a … scores, survey measures of socio-emotional development, and behaviors in 9th grade) for students who are more versus …We estimate the longer-run effects of attending an effective high school (one that improves a combination of test scores, survey measures of socio-emotional development, and behaviors in 9th grade) for students who are more versus less educationally advantaged (i.e., likely to attain more years of education based on 8th-grade characteristics). All students benefit from attending effective schools… more →
College Field Specialization and Beliefs about Relative Performance: An Experimental Intervention to Understand Gender Gaps in STEM
… academic performance may shape field specialization and explain gender gaps in STEM enrollment, but little causal … in biased beliefs substantially and closes ten percent of the gender gap in subsequent STEM course-taking. The gap …Beliefs about relative academic performance may shape field specialization and explain gender gaps in STEM enrollment, but little causal evidence exists. To test whether these beliefs are malleable and salient enough to change behavior, I run a randomized controlled trial with 5,700 undergraduates across seven introductory STEM courses. Providing relative performance information shrinks gender… more →
Do students improve their academic achievement when assigned to a growth mindset teacher? Evidence from Census Data in Chile using a Student Fixed Effect Design
… Growing evidence shows that a student's growth mindset (the belief that intelligence is malleable) can benefit their … academic achievement. In this paper, we study the impact of teacher growth mindset on academic achievement for a nationwide sample of 8th and 10th grade students in Chile in 2017. Using a student …Growing evidence shows that a student's growth mindset (the belief that intelligence is malleable) can benefit their academic achievement. However, due to limited information, little is known about how a teachers’ growth mindset affects their students’ academic achievement. In this paper, we study the impact of teacher growth mindset on academic achievement for a nationwide sample of 8th and 10th… more →
The Effect of Course Shutouts on Community College Students: Evidence from Waitlist Cutoffs
… Open admissions policies, binding class size constraints, and heavy reliance on state funding may make this channel … especially salient at community colleges, which enroll 47% of U.S. undergraduates in public colleges and 55% of … … Finance … Inequality … Program and policy effects … The Effect of Course Shutouts on Community College Students: …One frequently cited yet understudied channel through which money matters for college students is course availability- colleges may respond to budgetary pressure by reducing course offerings. Open admissions policies, binding class size constraints, and heavy reliance on state funding may make this channel especially salient at community colleges, which enroll 47% of U.S. undergraduates in public… more →
Happy Together? The Peer Effects of Dual Enrollment Students on Community College Student Outcomes
… Nationally, 15% of first-time community college students were high school … percentage of DE peers in entry-level (gateway) math and English courses influences non-DE enrollees’ performance. … Inequality … Program and policy effects … Happy Together? The Peer Effects of Dual Enrollment Students on Community …Nationally, 15% of first-time community college students were high school dual enrollment (DE) students, which raises concerns about how high school peers might influence college enrollees. Using administrative data from a large state community college system, we examine whether being exposed to a higher percentage of DE peers in entry-level (gateway) math and English courses influences non-DE… more →
Ready to Lead on Day One: Predicting Novice Principal Effectiveness with Information Available at Time of Hire
… High rates of principal turnover nationally mean that school districts constantly are called on to recruit and select new principals. The importance of a school’s principal makes choosing …High rates of principal turnover nationally mean that school districts constantly are called on to recruit and select new principals. The importance of a school’s principal makes choosing candidates who will be effective paramount, yet we have little evidence linking information known to school districts at time of selection to principal’s future job performance. Using data from Tennessee, we… more →
The Effect of Increased Funding on Student Achievement: Evidence From Texas's Small District Adjustment
… We leverage an obscure set of rules in Texas’s school funding formula granting some districts additional revenue as a function of size and sparsity. We use variation from kinks and discontinuities … Operations … K-12 Education … School districts … Finance … The Effect of Increased Funding on Student Achievement: …We leverage an obscure set of rules in Texas’s school funding formula granting some districts additional revenue as a function of size and sparsity. We use variation from kinks and discontinuities in this formula to ask how districts spend additional discretionary funds, and whether these improve student outcomes. A $1,000 annual increase in foundation funding, or 10% increase in expenditures,… more →
Heat and Learning
… We demonstrate that heat inhibits learning and that school air-conditioning may mitigate this effect. … PSAT-retakers show hotter school days in years before the test reduce scores, with extreme heat being particularly … learning time. New nationwide, school-level measures of air-conditioning penetration suggest patterns …We demonstrate that heat inhibits learning and that school air-conditioning may mitigate this effect. Student fixed effects models using 10 million PSAT-retakers show hotter school days in years before the test reduce scores, with extreme heat being particularly damaging. Weekend and summer temperature has little impact, suggesting heat directly disrupts learning time. New nationwide, school-… more →
"Feel" as a Determinant of College Choice: Evidence from Campus Tour Weather
… The feeling or impression that students get about enrolling … in a particular college may be an important determinant of their college application decision. Combining … are 10 percent less likely to apply when their tour is hot and 8 percent less likely when precipitation occurs during …The feeling or impression that students get about enrolling in a particular college may be an important determinant of their college application decision. Combining institutional records on college campus tour participants over the last decade with hourly weather information, we leverage tour weather as a plausibly exogenous shock to students’ "feel" for attending the toured college. We find that… more →
The Consequences of Cellphone Restrictions in Classrooms
… cellphones worldwide amid concerns about achievement and mental health, yet causal evidence on school-level bans … mixed. We examine cellphone restrictions in Chile before the pandemic, where teacher discretion over cellphone use … … Social and emotional learning … The Consequences of Cellphone Restrictions in Classrooms …Schools are increasingly restricting cellphones worldwide amid concerns about achievement and mental health, yet causal evidence on school-level bans remains mixed. We examine cellphone restrictions in Chile before the pandemic, where teacher discretion over cellphone use generated classroom-level variation. Using administrative and survey data, we exploit cross-cohort, within-teacher, and within… more →
Are Community College Students Increasingly Choosing High-Paying Fields of Study? Evidence from Massachusetts
… The labor-market payoff to workers with associate degrees in healthcare and STEM occupations is very high in Massachusetts. We examine whether this induced a growing proportion of students in MA community colleges (MACCs) to earn an …The labor-market payoff to workers with associate degrees in healthcare and STEM occupations is very high in Massachusetts. We examine whether this induced a growing proportion of students in MA community colleges (MACCs) to earn an associate degree (AD) in one of these fields. We do this by using multinomial logit analysis to compare trends across 12 cohorts of MACC entrants in the proportion of… more →
Should They Pay, or Should I Go? Differential Responses to Base Salary Increases
… This study uses administrative data from Oregon to estimate the extent to which base salary increases reduce teacher turnover and to investigate whether these effects are heterogeneous by teacher characteristics. Using multiple sets of fixed effects to isolate plausibly exogenous variation in …This study uses administrative data from Oregon to estimate the extent to which base salary increases reduce teacher turnover and to investigate whether these effects are heterogeneous by teacher characteristics. Using multiple sets of fixed effects to isolate plausibly exogenous variation in salaries across experience bands within a district, we find that increases in salary are associated with… more →
Cows Don't Give Milk: An Effort Model of College Graduation
… This paper estimates a dynamic model of college enrollment, progression, and graduation. A central feature of the model is student effort, which has a direct effect on …This paper estimates a dynamic model of college enrollment, progression, and graduation. A central feature of the model is student effort, which has a direct effect on class completion and an indirect effect mitigating risks on class completion and college persistence. The estimated model matches rich administrative data for a representative cohort of college students in Colombia. Estimates… more →
Is kindergarten ability group placement biased? New data, new methods, new answers
… Half of kindergarten teachers split children into higher and lower … with classroom fixed effects. In fall, test scores were the best predictors of group placement, but there was bias …Half of kindergarten teachers split children into higher and lower ability groups for reading or math. In national data, we predicted kindergarten ability group placement using linear and ordinal logistic regression with classroom fixed effects. In fall, test scores were the best predictors of group placement, but there was bias favoring girls, high-SES (socioeconomic status) children, and Asian… more →
Advanced Placement and Initial College Enrollment: Evidence from an Experiment
… courses affect college-going, we randomly assigned the offer of enrollment into an AP science course to over 1,800 … more by low student preparation than teacher inexperience and by students’ matriculation decisions rather than …To evaluate how Advanced Placement courses affect college-going, we randomly assigned the offer of enrollment into an AP science course to over 1,800 students in 23 schools that had not previously offered the course. We find no substantial AP course effects on students’ plans to enroll in college or on their college entrance exam scores. Yet AP course-takers enroll in less selective colleges than… more →
How has COVID-19 impacted FAFSA submissions?
… led colleges to brace for potential enrollment declines in the Fall, which would devastate budgets and potentially decrease the likelihood a student ever earns … to this crisis. We find that COVID did not affect most of California’s “traditional” high school graduates due to an …COVID has led colleges to brace for potential enrollment declines in the Fall, which would devastate budgets and potentially decrease the likelihood a student ever earns a degree. We take an early look at California’s FAFSA applications up through mid-June, to anticipate how students may be responding to this crisis. We find that COVID did not affect most of California’s “traditional” high school… more →
Elusive Longer-Run Impacts of Head Start: Replications Within and Across Cohorts
… Using an additional decade of CNLSY data, this study replicated and extended Deming’s (2009) evaluation of Head Start’s … skill formation impacts in three ways. Extending the measurement interval for Deming’s adulthood outcomes, we …Using an additional decade of CNLSY data, this study replicated and extended Deming’s (2009) evaluation of Head Start’s life-cycle skill formation impacts in three ways. Extending the measurement interval for Deming’s adulthood outcomes, we found no statistically significant impacts on earnings and mixed evidence of impacts on other adult outcomes. Applying Deming’s sibling… more →
Impacts of Michigan Transitional Kindergarten Through Third Grade
… Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively new model of early childhood education, with little evidence on whether and how it affects children’s development. This study … provides new evidence using data from Michigan, which has the nation’s second-largest TK program. Using survey data …Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively new model of early childhood education, with little evidence on whether and how it affects children’s development. This study provides new evidence using data from Michigan, which has the nation’s second-largest TK program. Using survey data (N=171) from administrators in 2021-2022, the paper documents several program features that distinguish TK… more →
Beginning Teachers & Strategies for Asset-Based Pedagogy
… how they account for students’ cultural, ethnic/racial, and linguistic diversity. We qualitatively analyze robust … them by participant demographics. This illuminates both the predictive validity of our qualitative analyses as well as provides initial …Our study examines roughly 2,000 novice teachers’ responses about how they account for students’ cultural, ethnic/racial, and linguistic diversity. We qualitatively analyze robust open-ended survey responses to explore teachers’ reported strategies for how they integrate asset-based pedagogy (ABP). We identify codes related to these strategies and then investigate them by participant demographics… more →
Returns to School Spending in Rural America: Evidence from Wisconsin’s Sparsity Aid Program
… We study the effects of increased school spending in rural American school districts by leveraging the introduction and subsequent expansion of Wisconsin’s Sparsity Aid Program. …We study the effects of increased school spending in rural American school districts by leveraging the introduction and subsequent expansion of Wisconsin’s Sparsity Aid Program. We find that the program, which provides additional state funding to small and isolated school districts, increased spending in eligible districts by 2% annually and that districts primarily allocated funds to areas with… more →
Impacts of Publicly Funded Health Insurance for Adults on Children’s Academic Achievement
… Publicly funded adult health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had positive effects on … the ACA’s Medicaid expansions influenced child development and family functioning in low-income households. We use a … Communities … K-12 Education … Poverty … Multiple outcomes of education … Parents and communities … Program and policy …Publicly funded adult health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had positive effects on low-income adults. We examine whether the ACA’s Medicaid expansions influenced child development and family functioning in low-income households. We use a difference-in-differences framework that exploits cross-state policy variation and focus on children in low-income families from a… more →
The Impact of Natural Disasters on Human Capital
… student achievement, lower high school graduation rates, and decrease post-secondary attendance. We estimate that … cause at least $500 in per capita property damage reduce the net present value (NPV) of an affected county’s human capital by an average of $505 …We show that natural disasters affect a region’s aggregate human capital through at least four channels. In addition to causing out-migration, natural disasters reduce student achievement, lower high school graduation rates, and decrease post-secondary attendance. We estimate that disasters that cause at least $500 in per capita property damage reduce the net present value (NPV) of an affected… more →
Test Score Patterns Across Three COVID-19-impacted School Years
… The COVID-19 pandemic has been a seismic and on-going disruption to K-12 schooling. Using test scores … in math and reading achievement across the first two years of the pandemic. Average fall 2021 math test scores in grades …The COVID-19 pandemic has been a seismic and on-going disruption to K-12 schooling. Using test scores from 5.4 million U.S. students in grades 3-8, we tracked changes in math and reading achievement across the first two years of the pandemic. Average fall 2021 math test scores in grades 3-8 were .20-27 standard deviations (SDs) lower relative to same-grade peers in fall 2019, while reading test… more →
The Academic Origins of Economics Faculty
… We use roster data of 96 top U.S. economics departments to document the academic origins of their tenure-track faculty. Academic … origins may have implications for how undergraduate (B.A.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) students are trained and placed, as well …We use roster data of 96 top U.S. economics departments to document the academic origins of their tenure-track faculty. Academic origins may have implications for how undergraduate (B.A.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) students are trained and placed, as well as the type of research produced. We find that faculty educated at top-ranked Ph.D. universities are overrepresented; e.g., over half of our sample… more →
A Promise Unfulfilled? How Modern Federal Civil Rights Enforcement is Used to Address Racial Discrimination in School Discipline
… available data on all civil rights complaints submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights related to racial discrimination in discipline between 1999 and 2018, I provide the first systematic evidence on how …Using newly available data on all civil rights complaints submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights related to racial discrimination in discipline between 1999 and 2018, I provide the first systematic evidence on how modern federal civil rights enforcement is used to address racial discrimination in discipline. I find that less than 50 percent of complaints received… more →
Effects of Perceived Productivity on Study Effort: Evidence from a Field Experiment
… How does the perceived relationship between effort and achievement affect effort? To answer this question, I … assigning them to different information treatments, each of which provides factual information. Students update their …How does the perceived relationship between effort and achievement affect effort? To answer this question, I conduct a field experiment with a popular online learning platform. I exogenously manipulate students’ beliefs about returns to effort by assigning them to different information treatments, each of which provides factual information. Students update their beliefs towards the information… more →
Does Peer Motivation Impact Educational Investments? Evidence From DACA
… Despite the significant influence that peer motivation is likely to … observed. In this paper, I focus on the 2012 introduction of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to study a … origin students … Motivation … Returns to education and skills … Access and admissions … Inequality … Program and …Despite the significant influence that peer motivation is likely to have on educational investments during high school, it is difficult to test empirically since exogenous changes in peer motivation are rarely observed. In this paper, I focus on the 2012 introduction of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to study a setting in which peer motivation changed sharply for a subset of high… more →
Impacts of School Entry Age on Academic Growth through 2nd Grade: A Multi-State Regression Discontinuity Analysis
… The belief that additional time allows children to become more ready for school has affected public policy and individual practices. Prior studies estimated either … paper contributes novel causal evidence for the impacts of kindergarten entry age on academic growth in the first …The belief that additional time allows children to become more ready for school has affected public policy and individual practices. Prior studies estimated either associations between school entry age and academic growth or causal effects on achievement measured at one or two points. This paper contributes novel causal evidence for the impacts of kindergarten entry age on academic growth in the… more →
Push or Pull: School-Level Factors That Influence Teacher Mobility in Turnaround Schools
… Recruiting and retaining teachers can be challenging for many schools, … at higher rates. In this study, we examine three types of school-level attributes that may influence teachers’ … turnaround schools in Tennessee, we find that five of the seven most highly valued features of schools are …Recruiting and retaining teachers can be challenging for many schools, especially in low-performing urban schools in which teachers turn over at higher rates. In this study, we examine three types of school-level attributes that may influence teachers’ decisions to enter or transfer schools: malleable school processes, structural features of employment, and school characteristics. Using adaptive… more →
The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers
… We examine the long-run impacts of having a same-race teacher. First, we leverage data from … points (7%) more likely to graduate from high school and 4 percentage points (13%) more likely to enroll in …We examine the long-run impacts of having a same-race teacher. First, we leverage data from the Tennessee STAR class-size experiment to show that black students randomly assigned to a black teacher in grades K-3 are 5 percentage points (7%) more likely to graduate from high school and 4 percentage points (13%) more likely to enroll in college than their same-school, same-race peers not assigned… more →
Instability in Foster Care: How Transitions Into and Out of Foster Care Relate to School Discipline
… Students in the foster care system tend to have lower educational … However, few studies have explored how transitions into and out of foster care placements are associated with educational …Students in the foster care system tend to have lower educational outcomes than their peers, including more frequent disciplinary events. However, few studies have explored how transitions into and out of foster care placements are associated with educational outcomes. Using longitudinal data from four California school districts, this study investigated the dynamics of entering versus exiting… more →
Leveraging Item Parameter Drift to Assess Transfer Effects in Vocabulary Learning
… Longitudinal models of individual growth typically emphasize between-person … each person contributes only one point at each time to the model. In contrast, modeling growth with multi-item … when IPD is not accounted for, both parameter estimates and their standard errors can be affected. We illustrate with …Longitudinal models of individual growth typically emphasize between-person predictors of change but ignore how growth may vary within persons because each person contributes only one point at each time to the model. In contrast, modeling growth with multi-item assessments allows evaluation of how relative item performance may shift over time. While traditionally viewed as a nuisance under the… more →
Choosing Alone? Peer Similarity in High School Choices
… We provide a descriptive analysis of within-school and neighborhood similarity in high school … from prior work by examining similarity in applications to specific schools rather than preferences for school …We provide a descriptive analysis of within-school and neighborhood similarity in high school applications in New York City. We depart from prior work by examining similarity in applications to specific schools rather than preferences for school characteristics. We find surprisingly low similarity within schools and neighborhoods, but substantial variation by race and prior achievement. White and… more →
Online Tutoring by College Volunteers: Experimental Evidence from a Pilot Program
… A substantial body of experimental evidence demonstrates that in-person tutoring … achievement. However, such programs typically are costly and constrained by a limited local supply of tutors. In … conduct an experiment where volunteer tutors from all over the country meet 1-on-1 with middle school students online …A substantial body of experimental evidence demonstrates that in-person tutoring programs can have large impacts on K-12 student achievement. However, such programs typically are costly and constrained by a limited local supply of tutors. In partnership with CovEducation (CovEd), we conduct a pilot program that has potential to ease both of these concerns. We conduct an experiment where volunteer… more →
A Longitudinal Study of External Contract Teacher Employment in Washington State School Districts
… This study examines the phenomenon of external teacher contracting in Washington State schools. … contract teachers are more often female, less experienced, and less likely to hold master’s degrees than their peers. …This study examines the phenomenon of external teacher contracting in Washington State schools. Using administrative data, we analyze shifting patterns of employment among external contract teachers. External contract teachers now represent a significant portion of the workforce in a few districts, but a very small portion statewide. These districts have formed robust online programs that may… more →
Tabling Debate: How Local Officials Use Agenda Control to Stifle Conflict
… policymaking by deciding which items receive attention and action — and which do not. Accounts from national … legislatures typically explain agenda control in terms of party leadership and discipline. But, do politicians exert … outside highly professionalized legislatures? We bring the agenda control discussion to U.S. school boards, which …Public officials influence policymaking by deciding which items receive attention and action — and which do not. Accounts from national legislatures typically explain agenda control in terms of party leadership and discipline. But, do politicians exert agenda control outside highly professionalized legislatures? We bring the agenda control discussion to U.S. school boards, which lack strong party… more →
What Impacts Should We Expect from Tutoring at Scale? Exploring Meta-Analytic Generalizability
… engaged in an unprecedented effort to expand tutoring in the wake of the pandemic. Broad-based support for scaling tutoring … an expanded meta-analysis of 282 randomized control trials and explore how estimates change when we better align our …U.S. public schools are engaged in an unprecedented effort to expand tutoring in the wake of the pandemic. Broad-based support for scaling tutoring emerged, in part, because of the large effects on student achievement found in prior meta-analyses. We conduct an expanded meta-analysis of 282 randomized control trials and explore how estimates change when we better align our sample with a policy-… more →