EdWorkingPapers
The Importance of a Helping Hand in Education and in Life
… This paper discusses the importance of incorporating personal assistance into interventions aimed at improving long-term education and labor market success. While existing research …This paper discusses the importance of incorporating personal assistance into interventions aimed at improving long-term education and labor market success. While existing research demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of low-touch behavioral nudges, this paper argues that the dynamic nature of human capital accumulation requires sustained habits over time. To foster better habits, social… more →
Why Do You Want to Be a Teacher? A Natural Language Processing Approach
… Heightened concerns about the health of the teaching profession highlight the importance of … (PST) expressed motivation for pursuing a teaching career and its relationship with PST characteristics and outcomes. …Heightened concerns about the health of the teaching profession highlight the importance of studying the early teacher pipeline. This exploratory, descriptive paper examines preservice teachers' (PST) expressed motivation for pursuing a teaching career and its relationship with PST characteristics and outcomes. Using data from one of the largest teacher education programs in Texas, we use a… more →
Attracting and Retaining Highly Effective Educators in Hard-to-Staff Schools
… Efforts to attract and retain effective educators in high poverty public schools … produced by its evaluation and compensation reforms as the basis for effectiveness-adjusted payments that provided … offers salary supplements to educators with records of high performance who are willing to work in the most …Efforts to attract and retain effective educators in high poverty public schools have had limited success. Dallas ISD addressed this challenge by using information produced by its evaluation and compensation reforms as the basis for effectiveness-adjusted payments that provided large compensating differentials to attract and retain effective teachers in its lowest achievement schools. The… more →
Linkage Between Fields of Concentration in High School Career-Technical Education and College Majors
… student-level administrative records from 4 cohorts of high school graduates in Kentucky to examine the extent to which students persist and attain post-secondary credentials in the CTE fields of …In this descriptive study, we use longitudinal student-level administrative records from 4 cohorts of high school graduates in Kentucky to examine the extent to which students persist and attain post-secondary credentials in the CTE fields of concentration they choose in high school. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to use student-level administrative data to examine how different… more →
Learning to Value Girls: Balanced Infant Sex Ratios at Higher Parental Education in the U.S. 1969-2018
… Infant sex ratios that differ from the biological norm provide a measure of gender status inequality that is not susceptible to social … infant sex ratios by parental race/ethnicity, education, and birth parity over 5 decades . We find son-biased infant …Infant sex ratios that differ from the biological norm provide a measure of gender status inequality that is not susceptible to social desirability bias. Ratios may become less biased with educational expansion through reduced preference for male children. Alternatively, bias could increase with education through more access to sex-selective medical technologies. Using National Vital… more →
Grads on the Go: Measuring College-Specific Labor Markets for Graduates
… This paper introduces a new measure of the labor markets served by colleges and universities across the United States. About 50 percent …This paper introduces a new measure of the labor markets served by colleges and universities across the United States. About 50 percent of recent college graduates are living and working in the metro area nearest the institution they attended, with this figure climbing to 67 percent in-state. The geographic dispersion of alumni is more than twice as great for highly selective 4-year… more →
Adult Culture Wars and Student Academic Achievement
… "culture wars" in education affect student learning in the classroom? I explore this question by combining … on state test scores. Leveraging variation in the location and timing of these events as the basis for a difference-in-differences …How do adult "culture wars" in education affect student learning in the classroom? I explore this question by combining information on nearly 500 school district political controversies with data on state test scores. Leveraging variation in the location and timing of these events as the basis for a difference-in-differences design, I show that student achievement declines in the wake of… more →
Measuring Teaching Practices at Scale: A Novel Application of Text-as-Data Methods
… Valid and reliable measurements of teaching quality facilitate school-level decision-making … raters. This approach is free of rater bias and enables the detection of three instructional factors that are well …Valid and reliable measurements of teaching quality facilitate school-level decision-making and policies pertaining to teachers. Using nearly 1,000 word-to-word transcriptions of 4th- and 5th-grade English language arts classes, we apply novel text-as-data methods to develop automated measures of teaching to complement classroom observations traditionally done by human raters. This approach is… more →
The Impressive Effects of Tutoring on PreK-12 Learning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence
… teachers, paraprofessionals, volunteers, or parents—is one of the most versatile and potentially transformative educational tools in use …Tutoring—defined here as one-on-one or small-group instructional programming by teachers, paraprofessionals, volunteers, or parents—is one of the most versatile and potentially transformative educational tools in use today. Within the past decade, dozens of preK-12 tutoring experiments have been conducted, varying widely in their approach, context, and cost. Our study represents the first… more →
Understanding and Addressing Principal Turnover: A Review of the Research
… reviews findings from 35 major studies that speak to the question of principal turnover. Within these studies, researchers have examined principal turnover nationally and within states and districts, primarily investigating the …This report reviews findings from 35 major studies that speak to the question of principal turnover. Within these studies, researchers have examined principal turnover nationally and within states and districts, primarily investigating the relationships between principal turnover and various characteristics of principals, schools, students, and policies. While there is some consistency across… more →
Horizontal Differentiation and the Policy Effect of Charter Schools
… substitutable with alternatives. This paper estimates the aggregate effect of charter school expansion on education quality while … treatment effects for exposure to charter schools that are and are not differentiated horizontally from public school …While school choice may enhance competition, incentives for public schools to raise productivity may be muted if public education is viewed as imperfectly substitutable with alternatives. This paper estimates the aggregate effect of charter school expansion on education quality while accounting for the horizontal differentiation of charter school programs. To do so, we combine student-level… more →
The Impact of Low-Ability Peers on Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Outcomes: Random Assignment Evidence on the Effects and Operating Channels
… This paper presents new experimental estimates of the impact of low-ability peers on own outcomes using … assignment of students to junior high school classrooms and find that the proportion of low-ability peers, defined as …This paper presents new experimental estimates of the impact of low-ability peers on own outcomes using nationally representative data from China. We exploit the random assignment of students to junior high school classrooms and find that the proportion of low-ability peers, defined as having been retained during primary school (“repeaters”), has negative effects on non-repeaters’ cognitive… more →
School Principal Race and the Hiring and Retention of Racially Diverse Teachers
… Exploiting variation from principal and teacher transitions over long administrative data panels in Missouri and Tennessee, we estimate the effects of principal race on the hiring and turnover of racially …Exploiting variation from principal and teacher transitions over long administrative data panels in Missouri and Tennessee, we estimate the effects of principal race on the hiring and turnover of racially diverse teachers. Evidence from the two states is strikingly similar. Black principals increase the probability that a newly hired teacher is Black by 5–7 percentage points. This result… more →
Heterogeneous Major Preference for Extrinsic Incentives: The Effects of Wage Information on the Gender Gap in STEM Major Choice
… Despite the growing evidence of informational interventions on college and major choices, we know little about how such light-touch …Despite the growing evidence of informational interventions on college and major choices, we know little about how such light-touch interventions affect the gender gap in STEM majors. Linking survey data to administrative records of Chinese college applicants, we conducted a large-scale randomized experiment to examine the STEM gender gap in the major preference beliefs, application behaviors… more →
Deeper Roots Before the Storm: Utilizing Machine Learning to Alert School Districts of Permanent School Closures
… The increasing rate of permanent school closures in U.S. public school districts … presents unprecedented challenges for administrators and communities alike. This study develops an early-warning … the degree to which they could predict mass closures using enrollment, financial, and demographic predictors. …The increasing rate of permanent school closures in U.S. public school districts presents unprecedented challenges for administrators and communities alike. This study develops an early-warning indicator model to predict mass closure events - defined as a district closing at least 10% of its schools - five years in advance. Leveraging administrative data from the National Center for Education… more →
Structured Choice: School Segregation at the Intersection of Policy and Preferences
… segregation as a phenomenon that emerges from the intersection of public policy and individual decision-making. Contemporary scholarship on …This paper conceptualizes segregation as a phenomenon that emerges from the intersection of public policy and individual decision-making. Contemporary scholarship on complex decision-making describes a two-step process—1) Editing and 2) Selection— and has emphasized the individual decision-maker’s agency in both steps. We build on this work by exploring, both theoretically and empirically, how… more →
Attendance Practices in High-Absenteeism Districts
… Educational policymakers, leaders, and researchers are paying increasing attention to student attendance and chronic absenteeism, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though researchers have documented …Educational policymakers, leaders, and researchers are paying increasing attention to student attendance and chronic absenteeism, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though researchers have documented the consequences and causes of absenteeism, there is limited empirical evidence about what schools and districts are actually doing to improve attendance. This study presents… more →
Loss of Schooling from Tropical Cyclones: Evidence from 13 Low- and Middle-income Countries
… Increasing educational attainment is one of the most important and effective tools for health and economic improvements. The …Increasing educational attainment is one of the most important and effective tools for health and economic improvements. The extent to which extreme climate events disrupt education, resulting in fewer years of schooling and reduced educational attainment, remains under-studied. Children in low- and middle-income countries may be uniquely vulnerable to loss of schooling after such disasters… more →
Entering and Exiting the Foster Care System: Implications for Absenteeism Among Child Welfare Involved Youth
… their status as a foster youth is not static, with many of them entering and exiting the foster care system over time. These dynamics of entry and …While foster youth miss more school versus their non-foster counterparts, their status as a foster youth is not static, with many of them entering and exiting the foster care system over time. These dynamics of entry and exit can represent particularly crucial transition periods of stability and instability that may differentially influence absenteeism. Yet, there is a dearth of studies that… more →
Using Large Language Models to Analyze Preservice Teacher Feedback and Reflections During Clinical Teaching
… This study analyzes over 11,000 supervisor evaluations and PST reflections from a Texas teacher preparation program using large language models to extract measures of feedback quality and content. Supervisor feedback often …Clinical teaching is vital for preservice teacher (PST) development, yet field supervisors’ roles are understudied. This study analyzes over 11,000 supervisor evaluations and PST reflections from a Texas teacher preparation program using large language models to extract measures of feedback quality and content. Supervisor feedback often lacks key quality indicators: less than half of… more →
Item-Level Heterogeneity in Value Added Models: Implications for Reliability, Cross-Study Comparability, and Effect Sizes
… Value added models (VAMs) attempt to estimate the causal effects of teachers and schools on student test scores. We apply Generalizability …Value added models (VAMs) attempt to estimate the causal effects of teachers and schools on student test scores. We apply Generalizability Theory to show how estimated VA effects depend upon the selection of test items. Standard VAMs estimate causal effects on the items that are included on the test. Generalizability demands consideration of how estimates would differ had the test included… more →
In the Wake of Dobbs: The Effect of State Abortion Bans on Women's College Choices
… This paper studies the impact of state reproductive rights laws on women’s human capital … in magnitude in the 2022-23 college application season, and persisted in the 2023-24 college application season. … …This paper studies the impact of state reproductive rights laws on women’s human capital decisions after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022). Using data from the Common App, the undergraduate college admission application, I implement a difference-in-differences design that compares high-achieving women’s… more →
The Lasting Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on K-12 Schooling: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Teacher Survey
… reports findings from a nationally representative survey of K-12 teachers in May 2023 that examines the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19 on public … ways in which school operations, instructional practice and parent-teacher interaction have changed since the …This paper reports findings from a nationally representative survey of K-12 teachers in May 2023 that examines the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19 on public schooling. The findings suggest fundamental ways in which school operations, instructional practice and parent-teacher interaction have changed since the pandemic. Some changes seem promising; others suggest caution. While… more →
Does Corequisite Remediation Work for Everyone? An Exploration of Heterogeneous Effects and Mechanisms
… The landscape of developmental education has experienced significant shifts … over the last decade nationwide, as more than 20 states and higher education systems have transitioned from the … students with varying levels of academic preparation. Using difference-in-differences and event study designs, we …The landscape of developmental education has experienced significant shifts over the last decade nationwide, as more than 20 states and higher education systems have transitioned from the traditional prerequisite model to corequisite remediation. Drawing on administrative data from Tennessee community colleges from 2010 to 2020, this study examined the heterogeneous effects of corequisite… more →
A Profile of Career and Technical Education Teachers in the 21st Century
… Though Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are pivotal to … use nationally-representative data to describe changes in the nation’s CTE teacher workforce during a period of significant policy changes. Today’s CTE teachers are more …Though Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are pivotal to students’ academic and career outcomes, research describing CTE teachers remains scant. In this study, we use nationally-representative data to describe changes in the nation’s CTE teacher workforce during a period of significant policy changes. Today’s CTE teachers are more frequently credentialed and more racially and… more →
Inequality in the Classroom: Electoral Incentives and the Distribution of Local Education Spending
… boards have wide discretion over allocating money among the schools in their district, yet we know relatively little … are one factor that can influence the distribution of resources: board members will direct spending toward … program in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and find that board members distribute resources primarily to …Locally-elected school boards have wide discretion over allocating money among the schools in their district, yet we know relatively little about how they decide “which schools get what.” I argue that electoral incentives are one factor that can influence the distribution of resources: board members will direct spending toward schools located in neighborhoods of their district where spending will… more →
Could shifting the margin between community college and university enrollment expand and diversify university degree production in STEM fields?
… We examine the potential to expand and diversify the production of university STEM degrees by shifting the margin of initial …We examine the potential to expand and diversify the production of university STEM degrees by shifting the margin of initial enrollment between community colleges and 4-year universities. Our analysis is based on statewide administrative microdata from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development covering enrollees in all public postsecondary institutions statewide. We… more →
Making the Grade: The Effect of Teacher Grading Standards on Student Outcomes
… Teachers are among the most important inputs in the education production … they set for their classrooms. However, the effects of grading standards on student outcomes are relatively … Using administrative data that links individual students and teachers in 8th and 9th grade Algebra I classrooms from …Teachers are among the most important inputs in the education production function. One mechanism by which teachers might affect student learning is through the grading standards they set for their classrooms. However, the effects of grading standards on student outcomes are relatively understudied. Using administrative data that links individual students and teachers in 8th and 9th grade… more →
At What Cost?: Is Technical Education Worth the Investment?
… Career and technical education (CTE) has existed in the United … have there been opportunities to assess the causal impact of participating in these programs while in high school. To …Career and technical education (CTE) has existed in the United States for over a century, and only in recent years have there been opportunities to assess the causal impact of participating in these programs while in high school. To date, no work has assessed whether the relative costs of these programs meet or exceed the benefits as described in recent evaluations. In this paper, we use… more →
Promises, Pitfalls, and Tradeoffs in Identifying Gifted Learners: Evidence from a Curricular Experiment
… across demographic subgroups represents a large and persistent challenge in U.S. public schools. In this paper, we measure the impacts of a school-wide curricular intervention designed … Program and policy effects … Race, ethnicity and culture … Promises, Pitfalls, and Tradeoffs in Identifying Gifted …Disparities in gifted representation across demographic subgroups represents a large and persistent challenge in U.S. public schools. In this paper, we measure the impacts of a school-wide curricular intervention designed to address such disparities. We implemented Nurturing for a Bright Tomorrow (NBT) as a cluster randomized trial across elementary schools with the low gifted identification… more →
The Uncertain Role of Educational Software in Remediating Student Learning: Regression discontinuity evidence from three local education agencies
… Educators must balance the needs of students who start the school year behind grade level with … levels of mastery. Using a regression discontinuity design and detailed software log and administrative data, we compare …Educators must balance the needs of students who start the school year behind grade level with their obligation to teach grade-appropriate content to all students. Educational software could help educators strike this balance by targeting content to students’ differing levels of mastery. Using a regression discontinuity design and detailed software log and administrative data, we compare two… more →
Can Teacher Evaluation Systems Produce High-Quality Feedback? An Administrator Training Field Experiment
… A core motivation for the widespread teacher evaluation reforms of the last decade was the belief that these new systems … of evaluation feedback in Boston Public Schools and evaluating the district’s efforts to improve feedback …A core motivation for the widespread teacher evaluation reforms of the last decade was the belief that these new systems would promote teacher development through high-quality feedback. We examine this theory by studying teachers’ perceptions of evaluation feedback in Boston Public Schools and evaluating the district’s efforts to improve feedback through an administrator training program.… more →
Teacher Evaluation and Teacher Turnover, New Evidence from District of Columbia Public Schools
… policy have received more attention than teacher turnover—and rightly so. The cost of losing a good teacher can be substantial and is born most …Few topics in education policy have received more attention than teacher turnover—and rightly so. The cost of losing a good teacher can be substantial and is born most directly by students. It is now widely recognized that teachers differ considerably in their ability to improve student outcomes, but discussions of teacher turnover rarely reflect these differences. Instead, we typically treat… more →
The Play’s the Thing: Experimentally Examining the Social and Cognitive Effects of School Field Trips to Live Theater Performances
… demonstrating educational benefits. This article describes the results of five random assignment experiments spanning two years … higher levels of tolerance, social perspective taking, and stronger command of the plot and vocabulary of those …Field trips to see theater performances are a long-standing educational practice, however, there is little systematic evidence demonstrating educational benefits. This article describes the results of five random assignment experiments spanning two years where school groups were assigned by lottery to attend a live theater performance, or for some groups, watch a movie-version of the same… more →
Explaining the Gender Gap in STEM Attainment: Factors from Primary School to STEM Degree Completion
… We investigate the determinants of high school completion and college attendance, the …We investigate the determinants of high school completion and college attendance, the likelihood of taking science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) courses in the first year of college and the probability of earning a degree in a STEM field. The focus is on women, who tend to be under-represented in STEM fields. Tracking four cohorts of students throughout Florida, women… more →
Fadeout and Persistence of Intervention Impacts on Social-Emotional and Cognitive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analytic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
… Researchers and policymakers aspire for educational interventions to … is theorized, about socialemotional skill persistence. The current meta-analysis investigated whether intervention … from eight pre-existing meta-analyses, generating a sample of 86 educational RCTs targeting children from infancy …Researchers and policymakers aspire for educational interventions to change children’s long-run developmental trajectories. However, intervention impacts on cognitive and achievement measures commonly fade over time. Less is known, although much is theorized, about socialemotional skill persistence. The current meta-analysis investigated whether intervention impacts on social-emotional skills… more →
Characterizing Cross-Site Variation in Local Average Treatment Effects in Multisite Regression Discontinuity Design Contexts with an Application to Massachusetts High School Exit Exam
… we can quantify treatment effect variation with the cross-site treatment effect variance. However, there is … this gap in the literature by systematically exploring and evaluating methods for estimating the cross-site … model generally performing better when the average number of in-bandwidth observations is less than 120 and the …In multisite experiments, we can quantify treatment effect variation with the cross-site treatment effect variance. However, there is no standard method for estimating cross-site treatment effect variance in multisite regression discontinuity designs (RDD). This research rectifies this gap in the literature by systematically exploring and evaluating methods for estimating the cross-site… more →
Sins of the Past, Present, and Future: Alternative Pension Funding Policies
… Our goal in this paper, presented at the 2020 Brookings Municipal Finance Conference , is to … pension funding dynamics with a focus on sustainability and intergenerational equity. The origin of this paper is our analysis of the funding policy …Our goal in this paper, presented at the 2020 Brookings Municipal Finance Conference, is to better understand teacher pension funding dynamics with a focus on sustainability and intergenerational equity. The origin of this paper is our analysis of the funding policy recommended in a highly… more →
The Effect of Universal Free Meals on Student Perceptions of School Climate: Evidence from New York City
… Over the last decade, more and more schools have adopted Universal Free Meals (UFM), a program that provides meals free of charge to all students, regardless of household income. …Over the last decade, more and more schools have adopted Universal Free Meals (UFM), a program that provides meals free of charge to all students, regardless of household income. Recent research finds UFM increases participation in school meals, improves test scores, and reduces incidences of bad behavior. Additionally, advocates cite stigma reduction as one of UFM’s many benefits, but to date… more →
COVID-19, Online Learning, and Absenteeism in Detroit
… How much school students attend is a powerful indicator of their well-being and a strong predictor of their future success in school. Prior research has documented the myriad in-school and out-of-school factors that …How much school students attend is a powerful indicator of their well-being and a strong predictor of their future success in school. Prior research has documented the myriad in-school and out-of-school factors that contribute to high levels of student absenteeism, many emerging from the root causes of poverty and disengagement. The shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic likely… more →
Politics, Markets, and Pandemics: Public Education’s Response to COVID-19
… The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to … respond to a public health crisis amid high levels of partisan polarization and an increasing tendency for local issues to become …The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to examine how local governments respond to a public health crisis amid high levels of partisan polarization and an increasing tendency for local issues to become nationalized. As an arena that has, in recent years, been relatively separate from national partisan divides, public schools provide a useful window into these dynamics. Leveraging… more →
Do later school start times improve adolescents’ sleep and substance use? A quasi-experimental study
… a solution to adolescents’ sleep deprivation. We estimated the impacts of later school start times on adolescents’ sleep and substance use by leveraging a quasi-experiment in which …A later school start time policy has been recommended as a solution to adolescents’ sleep deprivation. We estimated the impacts of later school start times on adolescents’ sleep and substance use by leveraging a quasi-experiment in which school start time was delayed in some regions in South Korea. A later school start time policy was implemented in 2014 and 2015, which delayed school start… more →
Behind the Push for Licensure Reform: How Beliefs About the Teaching Profession Unite and Divide Coalitions
… A long history of scholarship on teacher professionalism documents how … narratives about teaching animate education policy and practice. We bridge the Advocacy Coalition Framework with institutional logics to …A long history of scholarship on teacher professionalism documents how different narratives about teaching animate education policy and practice. We bridge the Advocacy Coalition Framework with institutional logics to examine how beliefs about teaching unite and divide a state-level coalition pursuing teacher licensure policy reform and manifest in the policymaking process. Drawing on… more →
Teacher Licensure and Workforce Quality: Insights from Covid-Era Emergency Licenses in Massachusetts
… Much recent debate among policymakers and policy advocates focuses on whether states should reduce teacher licensure requirements to ease the burdens of recruiting high quality teachers to the workforce. We …Much recent debate among policymakers and policy advocates focuses on whether states should reduce teacher licensure requirements to ease the burdens of recruiting high quality teachers to the workforce. We examine the effectiveness of individuals who entered the teacher workforce in Massachusetts during the pandemic by obtaining an emergency license, which requires only a bachelor’s degree.… more →
Should I Stay or Should I Go (Later)? Teacher Intentions and Turnover in Low-Performing Schools and Districts Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
… is a perennial concern that became more salient during the COVID-19 pandemic as teacher-reported intentions to leave … extent to which teacher-reported intentions are predictive of actually leaving. We measure behavior one, two, and three years following reported intent. We find intent is …Teacher turnover is a perennial concern that became more salient during the COVID-19 pandemic as teacher-reported intentions to leave teaching escalated. The extent to which these teacher reports may translate into actual turnover remains an open question—especially given the pandemic context. Using unique survey data from teachers in 35 districts in Michigan linked to statewide administrative… more →
Biased Opportunities: The Role of Implicit and Explicit Bias in Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment
… Black and Latinx students are under-represented in Advanced … Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE), and implicit bias of educators has been discussed as one potential contributing … … Program and policy effects … Biased Opportunities: The Role of Implicit and Explicit Bias in Advanced Placement …Black and Latinx students are under-represented in Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE), and implicit bias of educators has been discussed as one potential contributing factor. In this study, I test whether implicit and explicit racial bias are related to AP and DE participation and racial/ethnic gaps in participation, controlling for various observable contextual factors. I find a… more →
Can Personnel Policy Improve Teacher Quality? The Role of Evaluation and the Impact of Exiting Low-Performing Teachers
… evaluation systems have historically failed to identify and remediate low-performing teachers. In 2012, Chicago … teachers. Regression discontinuity estimates indicate that the evaluation reform increased the exit of low-rated tenured teachers by 50 percent. The teacher …Personnel evaluation systems have historically failed to identify and remediate low-performing teachers. In 2012, Chicago Public Schools implemented an evaluation system that incorporated remediation and dismissal plans for low-rated teachers. Regression discontinuity estimates indicate that the evaluation reform increased the exit of low-rated tenured teachers by 50 percent. The teacher labor… more →
Sibling Spillovers in Rural China: A Story of Sisters
… We study sibling spillover effects on the school performance of the elder sibling from the younger sibling using data on … schooling status to parse out the spillover effects and exploit the arbitrary school enrollment eligibility …We study sibling spillover effects on the school performance of the elder sibling from the younger sibling using data on multi-children households in rural China. We use the variation in the younger sibling’s schooling status to parse out the spillover effects and exploit the arbitrary school enrollment eligibility cutoff dates imposed by the Chinese Law of Compulsory Education as exogenous… more →
Does Online Course-taking Increase High School Completion and Open Pathways to Postsecondary Education Opportunities?
… quality online instruction could diminish student learning and discourage persistence toward graduation and further … methods in an eight-year longitudinal study of high school online course-taking, w e find positive … enrollments for all online course-takers, leaving open the question of whether online course-taking will lead to …Recent increases in high school graduation rates have been linked anecdotally to online course-taking for credit recovery. Online course-taking that supports high school completion could open opportunities for postsecondary education pursuits. Alternatively, poorer quality online instruction could diminish student learning and discourage persistence toward graduation and further education.… more →
Nearly three decades into the charter school movement, what has research told us about charter schools?
… When charter schools first entered the landscape, the debate was contentious, with both advocates and critics using strong rhetoric. Advocates often sold … this debate, research has evolved over time, with much of the first generation (through about 2005) of research …When charter schools first entered the landscape, the debate was contentious, with both advocates and critics using strong rhetoric. Advocates often sold charter schools as a silver bullet solution for not only the students who attend these schools, but the broader traditional public school system as well. Similarly, critics painted charter schools as an apocalyptic threat to public… more →