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on Education |
| By: | Diris, Ron (University of Leiden); Fairley, Kim (Radboud University Nijmegen) |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effect of extended education on school achievement and inequality in Dutch primary schools. We apply a panel event study design using rich longitudinal data on the use of extended education and school achievement in grades 1 through 6, to estimate the causal effect of extended education. The analysis reveals (precisely estimated) zero or low effects from the use of extended education. Interestingly, we identify a modest Ashenfelter dip right before the start of extended education, suggesting a reaction to an incidental poor school result. We explain the overall low effectiveness by the typical low-intensity use of extended education among Dutch primary school students, while we also identify high effectiveness for (a very small subset) of more intensive forms. We conclude that extended education has no meaningful implications for educational achievement or inequality in Dutch primary education. |
| Keywords: | education economics, extended education, tutoring, event study design |
| JEL: | I21 I24 |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17526 |
| By: | Goulas, Sofoklis (Brookings Institution); Griselda, Silvia (e61 Institution); Megalokonomou, Rigissa (Monash University); Zenou, Yves (Monash University) |
| Abstract: | How do disruptive peers shape academic and career paths? We examine this question by leveraging the random assignment of students to classrooms in Greece and identifying the effects of peer disruptiveness on academic performance and career paths. Using suspension hours as a measure of disruptiveness, we find that students assigned to more disruptive classrooms have lower academic achievement, a higher risk of grade retention, and reduced likelihood of graduating from high school on time. They are also less likely to pursue competitive STEM fields or enroll in selective postsecondary programs. The adverse effects are more pronounced for students from low-income areas, in larger classrooms, or with fewer female peers. Using a lab-in-the-field experiment, we find that exposure to multiple disruptors, compared to just one, reduces students' study motivation, college aspirations, and readiness for science studies and careers, especially for those seated closer to disruptive peers. |
| Keywords: | disruption, suspension, random classroom assignment, high school graduation, STEM careers, lab-in-the-field experiment |
| JEL: | I24 I26 J16 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17539 |
| By: | David Card; Eric Chyn; Laura Giuliano |
| Abstract: | Boys are less likely than girls to enter college, a gap that is often attributed to a lack of non-cognitive skills such as motivation and self-discipline. We study how being classified as gifted – determined by having an IQ score of 116 or higher – affects college entry rates of disadvantaged children in a large urban school district. For boys with IQ’s around the cutoff, gifted identification raises the college entry rate by 25-30 percentage points – enough to catch up with girls in the same IQ range. In contrast, we find small effects for girls. Looking at course-taking and grade outcomes in middle and high school, we find large effects of gifted status for boys that close most of the gaps with girls, but no detectable effects on standardized tests scores of either gender. Overall, we interpret the evidence as demonstrating that gifted services raise the non-cognitive skills of boys conditional on their cognitive skills, leading to gains in educational attainment. |
| JEL: | I21 I24 |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33282 |
| By: | Huang, Kaixing; Liao, Yuxi; Luo, Renfu |
| Abstract: | Parent-teacher communication has long been regarded as vital for children's academic success. Our theoretical model indicates that when parents contact teachers, it may have a positive direct effect and a negative spillover effect on students’ performance. Using a large panel of junior high school students randomly assigned to classes, we find a substantial negative spillover effect and a far smaller direct effect on both the academic and non-cognitive performances of students, which indicates a significantly negative net effect of parents’ contacting teachers. The strong negative spillover effect can be attributed to the decline in teachers' attention to and attitude towards students, and this effect is more pronounced for students with lower performance and whose parents have a lower social status. Our finding suggests that excessive parent-teacher contact should be avoided to safeguard student performance and educational equality. |
| Keywords: | Parent-teacher communication, spillover effect, student performance, educational equality |
| JEL: | D62 I21 I24 |
| Date: | 2024–12–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:123072 |
| By: | Celina Proffen; Franziska Riepl |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of introducing birthright citizenship in Germany on the educational trajectories of second-generation immigrants. Our identification strategy exploits a legal change in 2000 that granted children of foreigners with longtime residency automatic citizenship at birth. Using high-quality census data, we show that the reform contributes to closing pre-existing educational gaps in secondary school track choice and completion. These findings also hold when relying exclusively on within-household variation across siblings. We provide evidence for the underlying mechanisms, highlighting the roles of higher expected returns to education and of an increased sense of belonging to Germany. |
| Keywords: | birthright citizenship, education, human capital, integration, immigration |
| JEL: | J15 J24 K37 O15 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11483 |
| By: | Muñoz-Morales, Juan S. (IÉSEG School of Management) |
| Abstract: | This study provides evidence that natural disasters negatively affect student outcomes, potentially explaining the lower academic achievement of students in rural areas compared to their urban counterparts in developing countries. Using data from the Colombian school census, I estimate a difference-in-differences strategy that exploits variation from an unusual rainfall shock affecting over two million people in both urban and rural Colombia. The results show that these disruptions increase school dropout rates and reduce learning outcomes for at least a decade. The effects are concentrated in rural schools, while students in urban schools remain unaffected. I explore several mechanisms and rule out the possibility that the effects are driven by selective migration or a loss of educational resources. Instead, I find evidence that the rainfall shock exacerbated poverty, pushing poorer rural children into unemployment and longer work hours. |
| Keywords: | natural disasters, human capital, education, urban-rural gap, Colombia |
| JEL: | I24 I25 R11 |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17542 |