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on Education |
| By: | Marco Pariguana (School of Economics, University of Edinburgh); Salvador Navarro (University of Western Ontario) |
| Abstract: | We study whether the academic effects of being marginally admitted to an elite science school depend on the admission year as a reflection of how school characteristics change over time. We take advantage of five years (2005-2009) of administrative data on a large centralized high school admission system. We find that the effect on mathematics test scores at the end of high school decreases each year, starting positive and statistically significant in 2005 and ending not significant by 2009. We show that the discontinuous jumps in peer quality and other school characteristics induced by elite school admission have not systematically changed. However, the gains in school quality decreased, affecting the treatment definition. Varying relative school quality limits the external validity of otherwise internally valid estimates. |
| Keywords: | School choice, Upper-secondary education, Education policy |
| JEL: | I21 I24 I28 J24 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:edn:esedps:316 |
| By: | Rakesh Banerjee (University of Exeter Business School, Exeter, UK); Tushar Bharati (University of Western Australia Business School) |
| Abstract: | We examine the impact of school closures and the transition to online learning on the average learning outcomes of Australian children. Using longitudinal data on annual school-level performance in standardized assessments across five subjects and four grade levels, we analyze trends over 14 years (2008–2022, excluding 2020) for all Australian schools. Our analysis compares regions with varying levels of disruption to face-to-face teaching. Our findings indicate that COVID-related school closures led to a 0.17σ decline in standardized test scores (all-subject average). This decline occurs both in primary and secondary grades, affecting language and numeracy skills. The negative effects persist for at least three years after schools resumed in-person teaching. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that students from relatively advantaged background, who potentially made better use of the school inputs, suffered more. Additionally, we find i) school closures reduced learning disparities among secondary school students attending the same school as well as across secondary schools in a region, ii) schools with higher teacher-student ratios were better able to mitigate the negative effects of closures, and iii) government income support helped alleviate the adverse impact of school closures on student learning. |
| Keywords: | school closures, COVID-19, learning outcomes, standardized test scores |
| JEL: | I21 I24 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uwa:wpaper:25-01 |
| By: | German Pulido (UCL Social Research Institute) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of a debt forgiveness program implemented in 2011 on education and labour market outcomes for student loan holders who pursued university education in Colombia. The policy generated a sharp discontinuity in the eligibility criteria, which I exploit to identify the causal effect of debt forgiveness. Regression discontinuity estimates indicate an increase of 10 percentage points, equivalent to 19.5 percent, in the graduation rate of marginally eligible students. Additionally, the probability of graduating on time (within five years of enrolment) increased by 7.2 percentage points (25.4 percent). There is evidence that the policy had an effect on labour market outcomes. Eight years post-enrolment, eligible students are 19.5 percent more likely to be employed in the formal sector and have higher earnings. |
| Keywords: | student loans, higher education, debt relief, financial aid, graduation, employment |
| JEL: | I22 I23 I28 J21 J31 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ucl:cepeow:25-02 |
| By: | Thea S. Zoellner |
| Abstract: | Although occupational choice research clearly shows the under-representation of women in mathematics- and science-related fields (STEM), the existing research mostly focuses on i) high-ability (university) students (rather than a wider spectrum of students) and ii) the choice between STEM or non-STEM fields (not specifically between mathematics and science). This study, in turn, investigates the gender gap in occupational choice by using data on the career choices of a wide spectrum of young Swiss students, who choose their work apprenticeships at age 15/16. Specifically, this study investigates whether students' gender is associated with differences in occupational requirements (mathematics, science, language) conditional on individual occupation preferences, skills, personality traits and socio-economic characteristics. The novel dataset links a representative student survey, administrative data on education trajectories and data on occupational skill requirements. While the results suggest only a very small gender gap in favour of men in occupations with higher science requirements (higher "science intensity"), the results suggest a statistically and economically significant gender gap in favour of men in occupations with higher mathematics requirements (higher "mathematics intensity") equivalent to a 12% wage reduction for women over the working life. The results suggest that the mathematics intensity of an occupation is associated with gender segregation both within STEM and non-STEM occupations. |
| Keywords: | occupational choice, gender gap, STEM, skill requirements |
| JEL: | J24 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iso:educat:0237 |
| By: | Mehic, Adrian (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)); Mosaddegh, Arian (Confederation of Swedish Enterprise) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of a Swedish policy allowing manufacturing firms to influence the curricula of local educational institutions. Our analysis shows that the program has contributed to a significant reduction in youth unemployment, as well as an increase in marriage rates and male fertility rates at the municipality level. We further show that these positive labor market outcomes are due to improved quality and relevance of vocational education, rather than an increase in the number of graduates. However, using data covering the universe of Swedish firms, we find that manufacturing firms in neighboring municipalities saw declines in productivity, suggesting some negative spillover effects of the program. |
| Keywords: | Youth unemployment; Vocational education; Fertility |
| JEL: | E24 I26 J12 J24 |
| Date: | 2025–03–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1524 |
| By: | Abigail Opokua Asare (University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | The effectiveness of educational aid in Africa is a pressing issue, with little consensus on whether the management quality of aid has significant contribution toward achieving inclusive, equitable, and quality education on the continent by 2030. Despite substantial inflows of educational aid from both bilateral and multilateral sources, Africa continues to report the world’s highest illiteracy rates, indicating potential inefficiencies in educational aid management. This paper investigates whether the impact of World Bank–funded educational projects across Africa on literacy rates depends on the quality of project management. The findings reveal that educational projects managed in a highly satisfactory manner significantly reduce illiteracy, regardless of the quantity of aid or volume of aid disbursement. Meanwhile, projects managed in a sub-satisfactory manner show no progress at all. These findings highlight that effective management is far more critical to success than the amount of aid provided and suggest that reforming management practices could drastically enhance the impact of educational aid. By prioritizing high-quality management practices, policymakers and international organizations could improve the effects of educational aid, offering a targeted strategy to drive Africa’s educational progress. |
| Keywords: | aid effectiveness, management quality, illiteracy, DHS, World Bank, Africa |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:old:dpaper:449 |
| By: | NDOYE, Mamadou Laye; ATCHADE, Benedicte |
| Abstract: | Despite the implementation of a universal education policy in Senegal, the academic achievements of children by the end of the primary school cycle remains a major problem. Besides the acquisition of knowledge on the classical subjects that are taught in school, several other reasons related to family life were highlighted as determinants in academic achievements of learners. We pay specific interest to the impact of the mothers labour in a context whereby women are more and more involved in the labour market and are faced with serious difficulties in being able to reconcile their professional roles with their maternal obligations. Indeed, in Senegal, the employment of women, mostly in precarious and low paying jobs, prevents them from balancing their professional obligations with their maternal responsibilities, which has a negative impact on the academic achievements of their children. |
| Date: | 2024–03–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aer:wpaper:dd1e9839-c5a8-4b7e-a13c-cf3fb4ee76c6 |