EdWorkingPapers
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 story.… 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 →
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 →
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 treatment… 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 publicized paper first presented at the 2019 Brookings Municipal Finance Conference (Lenney, Lutz, and… more →
The Economics of Age at School Entry: Insights from Evidence and Methods
… This article reviews the growing literature on age at school entry and its effects across the life course. Age at school entry affects a broad range of outcomes, including education, labor-market performance, …This article reviews the growing literature on age at school entry and its effects across the life course. Age at school entry affects a broad range of outcomes, including education, labor-market performance, health, social relationships, and family formation. We synthesize the evidence using a conceptual framework that distinguishes four empirically intertwined components of age-at-school-entry… 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 →
Course Failure in Dual Enrollment and the Impact on College-Going
… from advanced academic opportunities. This study examines the characteristics of students who fail dual enrollment, the consequences of failure, and whether attempting DE retains value even for students who …Dual enrollment (DE) has expanded rapidly as a strategy to broaden access to college-level coursework, particularly for students historically excluded from advanced academic opportunities. This study examines the characteristics of students who fail dual enrollment, the consequences of failure, and whether attempting DE retains value even for students who do not succeed. Using administrative data… 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 the… more →
The Labor Market Value of Community College Bachelor’s Degrees: Initial Evidence from a Resume Audit Study in Early Childhood Education
… Community colleges are more financially, academically, and geographically accessible than four-year colleges. … is known about how employers value these credentials in the labor market. To address this question, we conduct the first resume audit study of CCB degrees, submitting fictitious applications to real …Community colleges are more financially, academically, and geographically accessible than four-year colleges. Despite most community college students intending to earn a bachelor’s degree, few transfer to a four-year institution and even fewer earn bachelor’s degrees, leading policymakers to explore alternative strategies for increasing postsecondary access and success. Community College… 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 times… more →
Absent and Afraid? Immigration Enforcement and Student Attendance in the Second Trump Administration
… Intensified immigration enforcement activity under the second Trump administration has increased anxiety for … This study provides early evidence on the effects of the second Trump presidency on the attendance of students … relative to non-ELs in samples of schools in Rhode Island and Connecticut. I find negative effects in both settings. In …Intensified immigration enforcement activity under the second Trump administration has increased anxiety for immigrants in the United States, including many families with school-age children. This study provides early evidence on the effects of the second Trump presidency on the attendance of students who may be from immigrant families. Using a difference-in-differences design, I estimate the… more →
Exploring Test-Optional Admissions Policies: Patterns in Applications, Enrollment, and Diversity During the COVID-19
… The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of higher education, including college admissions processes. Since 2020, numerous universities and colleges have adopted test-optional policies, allowing …The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of higher education, including college admissions processes. Since 2020, numerous universities and colleges have adopted test-optional policies, allowing applicants to decide whether to submit standardized test scores. Although such policies have been in place at some institutions since 1998, research on their associations with student diversity and… 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 qualitative… 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. Our… 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. Using… 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 →
Parental Occupational Choice and Children’s Entry into a STEM Field
… We explore the intergenerational occupational transmission between parents and their children as it pertains to entry into the STEM field. Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, we study student’s aspirations to work in a STEM …We explore the intergenerational occupational transmission between parents and their children as it pertains to entry into the STEM field. Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, we study student’s aspirations to work in a STEM field and eventual STEM education and employment. We show how these patterns change depending on whether the student’s parents work in a STEM field. We find strong… more →
The Net Benefits of Raising Bachelor’s Degree Completion through the City University of New York ACE Program
… In 2015, the City University of New York (CUNY) launched a new program— Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE)—aimed at improving college graduation rates. …In 2015, the City University of New York (CUNY) launched a new program— Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE)—aimed at improving college graduation rates. A randomized-control evaluation of the program found a nearly 12 percentage point increase in graduation five years after college entry. Using this impact estimate and national data on earnings by gender, age, and degree status; we estimate… more →
Leveraging complementarities between teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical supports: Experimental evidence from India
… college students in science, technology, engineering, and math (“fellows”), supported them with training, coaching, … deviations (SDs) higher than teachers on an assessment of content knowledge and pedagogy. The intervention raised achievement after one year by 0.32 …We evaluate whether pairing strong subject-matter knowledge with pedagogical supports can improve learning in public primary schools. In Pune, India, we randomly assigned grades within 48 schools to an intervention that recruited college students in science, technology, engineering, and math (“fellows”), supported them with training, coaching, and scripts, and had them partly replace math and… more →
When Does School Autonomy Improve Student Outcomes?
… This paper presents new evidence on the benefits of decentralization in public education, focusing on a … that granted school principals more control over budgeting and operations. Meta-analysis of similar policies shows a …This paper presents new evidence on the benefits of decentralization in public education, focusing on a Chicago policy that granted school principals more control over budgeting and operations. Meta-analysis of similar policies shows a small average effect with significant variation across settings. To explain this heterogeneity, I adopt theories from public finance, contract… more →
Immigration Enforcement Actions and Empty Desks: Persistent and Acute Attendance Effects
… records from a mid-sized school district to estimate the causal effect of heightened federal immigration enforcement following the … design. We find that heightened enforcement and immigration enforcement actions (IEAs) cause a …How do changes in immigration policy affect student attendance? We use student-by-day administrative records from a mid-sized school district to estimate the causal effect of heightened federal immigration enforcement following the January 2025 presidential inauguration on student attendance using a difference-in-differences design. We find that heightened enforcement and immigration enforcement… more →
Are public housing projects good for kids after all?
… charge that public housing projects concentrate poverty and create neighborhoods with limited opportunities, … including low-quality schools. However, whether the net effect is positive or negative is theoretically … ambiguous and likely to depend on the characteristics of the neighborhood and schools compared to origin …Is public housing bad for children? Critics charge that public housing projects concentrate poverty and create neighborhoods with limited opportunities, including low-quality schools. However, whether the net effect is positive or negative is theoretically ambiguous and likely to depend on the characteristics of the neighborhood and schools compared to origin neighborhoods. In this paper, we draw… more →
Career and Technical Education as a Strategy to Improve Long-term Outcomes for English Language Learners
… Career and Technical Education (CTE) has emerged as a strategy to … data from Massachusetts, this study provides some of the first evidence on ML-ELs’ CTE participation and its …Career and Technical Education (CTE) has emerged as a strategy to enhance college and labor market outcomes for all students, yet little is known about its implications for multilingual students classified as English Learners (ML-ELs). Using longitudinal data from Massachusetts, this study provides some of the first evidence on ML-ELs’ CTE participation and its relationship with long-term… more →
The Causal Effect of Student Absences Post Pandemic: Evidence from Three School Systems
… Researchers, educators, and policymakers have long worried about the consequences of student absences for educational achievement and …Researchers, educators, and policymakers have long worried about the consequences of student absences for educational achievement and attainment—concerns that have grown with the significant rise in absenteeism during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. Using administrative data from Maryland, North Carolina, and a large urban school district, we find that the impact of absences on test scores… more →
Did COVID-19 Shift the “Grammar of Schooling”?
… The immediate impacts of COVID-19 on K12 schooling are well known. Over nearly 18 months, students’ academic performance and mental health deteriorated dramatically. This study aims to identify if and how the pandemic led to longer-term …The immediate impacts of COVID-19 on K12 schooling are well known. Over nearly 18 months, students’ academic performance and mental health deteriorated dramatically. This study aims to identify if and how the pandemic led to longer-term changes in core aspects of schooling. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 31 teachers and administrators across 12 districts in two states, we find that… more →
The Effects of Public Pre-K for 3-year-olds on Early Elementary School Outcomes: Evidence from the DC Centralized Lottery
… This study examines the effects of universal public pre-kindergarten for 3-year-olds (Pre-K3) … enrollment, school mobility, special education status, and in-grade retention from kindergarten through second …This study examines the effects of universal public pre-kindergarten for 3-year-olds (Pre-K3) on later public education outcomes, including enrollment, school mobility, special education status, and in-grade retention from kindergarten through second grade. While universal pre-kindergarten programs typically target 4-year-olds, interest in expanding to 3-year-olds is growing. Using the… more →
Sustained Effects of Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics
… treatment effects on test scores can fade over time, and less is known about the lasting effects of such interventions. We leverage data from a Norwegian …Recent research suggests that using additional teachers to provide small-group instruction or tutoring substantially improves student learning. However, treatment effects on test scores can fade over time, and less is known about the lasting effects of such interventions. We leverage data from a Norwegian large-scale field experiment to examine the effects of small-group instruction in… more →
What Works and For Whom? Effectiveness and Efficiency of School Capital Investments Across the U.S.
… which investments in school facilities help students and are valued by homeowners. Using novel data on school … on average. However, impacts differ vastly across types of funded projects. Spending on basic infrastructure (such as HVAC) or on the removal of pollutants raises test scores but not house …This paper identifies which investments in school facilities help students and are valued by homeowners. Using novel data on school district bonds, test scores, and house prices for 29 U.S. states and a research design that exploits close elections with staggered timing, we show that increased school capital spending raises test scores and house prices on average. However, impacts differ vastly… more →
Explaining the Productivity Paradox: Experimental Evidence from Educational Technology
… Explaining the productivity paradox—the phenomenon where an introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) does not lead to …Explaining the productivity paradox—the phenomenon where an introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) does not lead to improvements in labor productivity—is difficult, as changes in technology often coincide with adjustments to working hours and substitution of labor. I conduct a cluster-randomized trial in India to investigate the effects of a program that provides teachers… more →
EMERGEing Educational Opportunities: The Effects of Social Capital and Nudging on Selective College Outcomes
… There is a growing debate in social science and education policy research on how to improve college … do not and suggest that students may need more support in the college search and choice processes. Using a regression … effects on applying to a selective college, the number of applications submitted to selective colleges, and …There is a growing debate in social science and education policy research on how to improve college access for high-performing students from low-income or first-generation backgrounds. While some studies suggest that providing information to students impacts college access, other studies do not and suggest that students may need more support in the college search and choice processes. Using a… more →
New Schools and New Classmates: The Disruption and Peer Group Effects of School Reassignment
… policies to improve educational outcomes by altering the socio-economic and academic skill composition of schools. We exploit the quasi-random reassignment of …Policy makers periodically consider using student assignment policies to improve educational outcomes by altering the socio-economic and academic skill composition of schools. We exploit the quasi-random reassignment of students across schools in the Wake County Public School System to estimate the academic and behavioral effects of being reassigned to a different school and, separately, of… more →
Navigating Remote Delivery of Assessments for Head Start Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
… agencies nationwide continue to experience closures and/or conversions to virtual or hybrid instruction due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the importance of understanding young children’s learning and development …Many preschool agencies nationwide continue to experience closures and/or conversions to virtual or hybrid instruction due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the importance of understanding young children’s learning and development during the COVID emergency, limited knowledge exists on adaptable practices of assessing young children during the pandemic. We detail practices used to assess… more →
Can Schools Change Religious Attitudes? Evidence from German State Reforms of Compulsory Religious Education
… affects students' religiosity as adults. We exploit the staggered termination of compulsory religious education across German states in models with state and cohort fixed effects. Using three different datasets, we …We study whether compulsory religious education in schools affects students' religiosity as adults. We exploit the staggered termination of compulsory religious education across German states in models with state and cohort fixed effects. Using three different datasets, we find that abolishing compulsory religious education significantly reduced religiosity of affected students in adulthood. It… more →
Distribution of Education Savings Accounts Usage Among Families: Evidence from the Florida Gardiner Program
… mechanisms that allow for families to receive a deposit of public funds to a government-authorized savings account. … data, this paper examines how families participating in the Florida Gardiner Scholarship Program use education … shares increase for curriculum, instruction, tutoring, and specialized services. Students in rural areas not only …Education savings accounts (ESAs) are education funding mechanisms that allow for families to receive a deposit of public funds to a government-authorized savings account. Using student-level longitudinal data, this paper examines how families participating in the Florida Gardiner Scholarship Program use education savings account funds. Results indicate that families use an increasing proportion… more →
Building Experience and Retention: The influence of principal tenure on teacher retention rates
… This study investigates the influence of principal tenure on the retention rates of the teachers … they hire over time. We analyzed the hiring practices and teacher retention rates of 11,717 Texas principals from …This study investigates the influence of principal tenure on the retention rates of the teachers they hire over time. We analyzed the hiring practices and teacher retention rates of 11,717 Texas principals from 1999 to 2017 employing both individual and year fixed effects. Main findings indicate that a principal who stays in the same school for at least three years begins to hire teachers who… more →
The Non-Democratic Roots of Mass Education: Evidence from 200 Years
… its provision. But primary education can also serve the goals of autocrats, including redistribution, promoting loyalty, nation-building, and/or industrialization. To examine the relationship between …Because primary education is often conceptualized as a pro-poor redistributive policy, a common argument is that democratization increases its provision. But primary education can also serve the goals of autocrats, including redistribution, promoting loyalty, nation-building, and/or industrialization. To examine the relationship between democratization and education provision empirically, I… more →
Pre-Service Teacher Quality and Workforce Entry
… Using rich longitudinal data from one of the largest teacher education programs in Texas, we … the measurement of pre-service teacher (PST) quality and its relationship with entry into the K–12 public school …Using rich longitudinal data from one of the largest teacher education programs in Texas, we examine the measurement of pre-service teacher (PST) quality and its relationship with entry into the K–12 public school teacher workforce. Drawing on rubric-based observations of PSTs during clinical teaching, we find that little of the variation in observation scores is attributable to actual… more →
Shifting Alliances in State Political Parties: The Case of Education Interest Groups
… Political parties in the U.S. are composed of networks of interest groups, according to the extended … time. In 2000, teachers unions were the dominant group and aligned with Democrats. Meanwhile, Republicans lacked …Political parties in the U.S. are composed of networks of interest groups, according to the extended party network theory. Scholars have focused on national extended party networks. We use the case of education interest groups to explore how policy environments shape party networks on the state level. Using 145,000 campaign contributions from 2000 to 2017, we show that the alignment of education… more →
The Effect of Universal Free School Meals on Child BMI
… We estimate the effect of universal free school meal access through the Community … for free or reduced-priced meals can offer freebreakfast and lunchto all students. With administrative data from a …We estimate the effect of universal free school meal access through the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) on child BMI. Through the CEP, schools with high percentages of students qualified for free or reduced-priced meals can offer freebreakfast and lunchto all students. With administrative data from a large school district in Georgia, we use student-level BMI measures from the FitnessGram to… more →
Can We Save Failing Schools? Evidence From Los Angeles
… Can providing funding and support to failing schools help them improve? This paper … that allocated substantial resources and support to the lowest-performing schools in the Los Angeles Unified … I compare 50 secondary schools that received an increase of 13.5% on average in their annual budgets for three years, …Can providing funding and support to failing schools help them improve? This paper studies this question using a natural experiment based on a 2017 lawsuit settlement that allocated substantial resources and support to the lowest-performing schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Using a difference-in-differences design, I compare 50 secondary schools that received an increase… more →
The Short- and Long-Run Impacts of Secondary School Absences
… We provide novel evidence on the causal impacts of student absences in middle and high school on state test scores, course grades, and …We provide novel evidence on the causal impacts of student absences in middle and high school on state test scores, course grades, and educational attainment using a rich administrative dataset that tracks the date and class period of each absence. We use two similar but distinct identification strategies that address potential endogeneity due to time-varying student-level shocks by exploiting… more →
Social Spending and Educational Gaps in Infant Health in the United States, 1998-2017
… Recent expansions of child tax, food assistance and health insurance programs … while researchers and policymakers continue to debate the best way to support families via the welfare state. How …Recent expansions of child tax, food assistance and health insurance programs have made American families’ need for a robust social safety net highly evident, while researchers and policymakers continue to debate the best way to support families via the welfare state. How much do children – and which children – benefit from social spending? Using the State-by-State Spending on Kids Dataset,… more →