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on Education |
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Issue of 2026–04–27
eleven papers chosen by João Carlos Correia Leitão, Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Guthrie Gray-Lobe; Michael Kremer; Joost de Laat; Oluchi Mbonu; Cole Scanlon |
| Abstract: | This study evaluates a large-scale SMS outreach program to engage caregivers of students in private primary schools in Kenya. Using a two-stage randomization design, we tested two types of weekly SMS messages: growth-mindset encouragement and personalized performance information. We find two main effects: First, outreach improved test scores by 0.07 standard deviations, with particularly strong gains among initially lower-performing students. This improvement generates 12 learning-adjusted years of schooling per US$100 spent—making it highly cost-effective relative to other education interventions. Second, outreach increased student exit rates by 4.7-5.0 percentage points, with effects concentrated among higher-achieving students (5.7 to 6.6 percent-age points). We develop a theoretical model of vertically differentiated schools where parental engagement affects both learning production and school choice. The model shows that when parents update their understanding of education production through engagement programs, they become more sensitive to perceived school quality differences. This increased sensitivity can lead lower-quality schools to forgo implementing engagement programs—even when costless—as enhanced parental discernment accelerates student exits. Our findings suggest a role for third-party provision of parent engagement programs in competitive education markets. |
| JEL: | D83 D91 I21 L15 O15 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35103 |
| By: | Delaney, Judith (University of Bath); Devereux, Paul (University College Dublin) |
| Abstract: | We use population-level administrative data on secondary school students in England to examine how mathematical and verbal skills shape educational and labour market outcomes. Tracking cohorts from age 16 through higher education and into employment up to age 34, we show that these skills operate through distinct pathways. Verbal skills strongly predict educational attainment - including university enrolment, completion, and postgraduate study - while mathematical skills yield substantially larger earnings returns. At ages 30–34, moving from the 25th to the 75th percentile of the mathematics distribution is associated with 29% higher earnings, compared with 14% for verbal skills. This divergence is partly driven by field-of-study choice: individuals with stronger verbal skills are more likely to enter fields with higher completion rates but lower pay, while those with stronger mathematical skills sort into STEM and other high-paying fields. Gender differences in skills explain the female advantage in higher education and part of the STEM gap, but have limited impact on the gender earnings gap due to offsetting effects across these channels. |
| Keywords: | math skills, verbal skills, college, field of study, STEM |
| JEL: | I26 I24 I21 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18542 |
| By: | Coffey, Stephanie (Saint Anselm College); Goodman, Joshua (Boston University); Schwartz, Amy (University of Delaware); Stiefel, Leanna (New York University); Winters, Marcus (Boston University); Yoon, Yunee (Boston University) |
| Abstract: | Special education serves more than one in seven U.S. students yet its causal impact remains understudied. Using longitudinal data from Massachusetts, Indiana, and Connecticut, we estimate the effect of individualized supports with an event-study design that tracks achievement around initial classification. Students’ scores decline prior to placement and rise sharply afterward, yielding a consistent V-shaped pattern. Within three years, achievement is 0.2–0.4σ higher than counterfactual trends imply. Gains are similar across disability categories and subgroups, are not driven by testing accommodations, and remain under conservative assumptions. Individualized supports substantially increase learning productivity. |
| Keywords: | special education, human capital, treatment effects, education policy |
| JEL: | I21 I28 H52 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18531 |
| By: | Sonedda, Daniela (University of Insubria); Matranga, Marcello (University of Piemonte Orientale); Vernasca, Gianluigi (University of Essex); Rossi, Mariacristina (University of Turin); Figari, Francesco (University of Piemonte Orientale) |
| Abstract: | We study the interaction between need- and merit-based university grants in a non-selective higher education system. Using administrative data from a northern Italian university, we analyse how eligibility criteria affect enrolment, academic performance, and labour market outcomes. We document a trade-off between the two criteria, with merit requirements acting as endogenous screening. We rationalise this trade-off with a three-period model predicting that merit thresholds increase effort among students with higher expected ability but may discourage effort among students at risk of falling short, as losing the grant reduces expected utility. We support these predictions using a difference-in-differences estimator for multiple treatments, separately analysing students switching into and out of need- and merit-based eligibility. Our results show that grants target disadvantaged but academically strong students, generate perverse incentive effects that vary by gender, and fail to retain a substantial share of initial recipients. |
| Keywords: | university grants, educational outcomes, non selective higher education |
| JEL: | I22 I23 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18547 |
| By: | Moriam Khanam; Mohammad Hajizadeh; Casey Warman |
| Abstract: | This study leverages exogenous variation from a secondary school stipend program for female students in rural Bangladesh to estimate the causal effect of maternal education on early childhood development. Using data from the 2019 Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, we find that the five years of stipend eligibility increase mothers' schooling by about one year. Instrumental variable estimates show that an additional year of maternal education improves early childhood development scores by 0.5 points on a scale of 0-10, with gains in overall developmental readiness (7.5 percentage points) and in the literacy–numeracy (7.7 percentage points) and physical (1.9 percentage points) domains. The results are robust across specifications. We also estimate the effects of maternal education on potential mechanisms, including children's nutrition, home learning environment, parenting practices, and use of early childhood education and care. The findings show that improvements in maternal education increase weight-for-age Z-scores, reduce stunting, improve the probability of having toys from shops, and increase the likelihood of an adult household member playing with the child. The positive effects of maternal education on children's developmental outcomes imply the importance of investment in improving educational attainment, particularly for females in low- and middle-income countries. |
| JEL: | H52 I10 I25 J24 O15 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35075 |
| By: | Malacrino, Davide (International Monetary Fund); Nocito, Samuel (Sapienza University of Rome); Saggio, Raffaele (University of British Columbia) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of a reform aimed at expediting graduation times in Italian universities by reducing the number of exams students must pass in order to graduate. Using event-study estimates that leverage the reform's staggered implementation, we find that this policy led to an increase in on-time graduation rates but also resulted in a decreased probability of employment one-year post-graduation. However, this negative effect reverses into a positive one in the medium run. We show that these patterns are explained by students using the time gained from earlier graduation to pursue additional educational qualifications. |
| Keywords: | higher education, policy evaluation, time to graduation, labor outcomes |
| JEL: | I23 I26 I28 J22 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18530 |
| By: | Hu, Yue Louise |
| Abstract: | Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, this paper exploits within-sibling differences in vocational coursework credits taken during high school to estimate their effects on educational and labor market outcomes. I find that additional vocational course-work reduces four-year college attendance without affecting college graduation among those who enroll, and is associated with higher annual earnings that persist into the mid-thirties. This evidence suggests that vocational education helps students realize their comparative advantage and sort into different educational paths, which benefit their labor market outcomes. The findings point to high school vocational education providing sustained economic benefits without compromising overall educational attainment, and benefiting students with diverse educational trajectories. |
| Keywords: | Vocational Education, Career and Technical Education, Labor Market Outcomes, Human Capital, NLSY97 |
| JEL: | I28 J24 J26 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fubsbe:340112 |
| By: | Hecker, Britta (IAB and the University of Bamberg); Shure, Nikki (University College London); Yükselen Saif, Ipek (No longer in academia (formerly IAB and University of Bamberg)) |
| Abstract: | We examine how adolescents’ domain‑specific confidence shapes subsequent participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) study and vocational training, using longitudinal data from a nationally representative cohort of German secondary school students. We show that domain‑specific confidence measures provide markedly different predictions from composite confidence indices: in line with established models from educational psychology, higher confidence in mathematics and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) increase the likelihood of entering STEM pathways, whereas higher confidence in reading decreases it. These opposing patterns are obscured when confidence is aggregated into a single measure. Our findings demonstrate the importance of distinguishing between domains when studying non‑cognitive determinants of STEM choices and suggest that broad confidence‑building interventions may unintentionally reinforce existing gender disparities in STEM participation. |
| Keywords: | confidence, STEM, education, gender |
| JEL: | I24 I23 D91 J24 J16 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18535 |
| By: | Montpetit, Sébastien (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of prohibiting the Islamic veil in schools on economic outcomes and long-run integration of Muslim women. Using a difference-in-differences design, I show that the 1994 directive instructing school principals to ban the veil in French schools led to a substantial decline in educational attainment among affected cohorts, with persistent consequences for employment and marriage market outcomes. An analysis of mechanisms suggests that these effects stem primarily from heightened perceptions of discrimination and mistrust toward the French school system, rather than shifts in parental educational investments. I also show that misclassification of religion in prior work introduces substantial bias. Despite the adverse economic consequences, the affected cohorts exhibit stronger identification with France but also higher levels of religiosity, suggesting a mixed long-run impact on cultural assimilation |
| Keywords: | headscarf ban, religious identity, women’s education, cultural integration, marriage market, misclassification bias JEL codes: I28, J16, J15, Z12 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wrk:warwec:1610 |
| By: | Milovanska-Farrington, Stefani (University of Tampa); Tomberlin, Caleb (William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA) |
| Abstract: | The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has offered new ways of teaching and learning. Businesses have also highlighted the importance of AI literacy in the workplace as AI is transforming operations and entire industries. Given the importance of obtaining AI skills and the opportunities it provides, it is useful for students to gain experience interacting with the emerging technology. Yet, the optimal ways to incorporate AI in each class so that students’ knowledge acquisition in coursework does not suffer are still unclear. This paper examines the causal effect of AI-enhanced test preparation on student performance in an economics class. In a difference-in-differences framework, we compare the changes in students’ test scores after relative to before utilizing AI to enhance learning between students who completed a guided AI assignment to prepare and those who did not. The findings provide evidence that learning through AI does not necessarily improve students’ performance on formal exams. This does not mean that students should not learn how to use AI tools, but rather that they may not prepare for exams in all courses while simultaneously improving their AI skill set. |
| Keywords: | artificial intelligence (AI), AI assignment, ChatGPT, learning tools, student performance, test preparation |
| JEL: | A20 A22 I21 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18522 |
| By: | Sarah Cattan (Institute for Fiscal Studies); Antonio Dalla-Zuanna (Bank of Italy); Jan Stuhler (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Po Yin Wong (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Abstract: | Standard intergenerational measures have been shown to understate the long-run persistence of socioeconomic advantages in developed countries. We study theoretically and empirically whether this pattern extends to less developed settings, using Indonesia as a case study. Using the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) and Census data, we study multigenerational correlations in education across three generations. Contrary to previous findings, we observe greater multigenerational mobility than parent-child correlations alone would suggest. We develop a theoretical framework to highlight two key factors influencing multigenerational dynamics in developing countries: (1) financial and credit constraints, and (2) cultural norms related to marital sorting. To confirm their relevance, we exploit regional variations in exposure to the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and in marital customs. |
| Keywords: | intergenerational mobility, multigenerational persistence, education constraints, financial constraints, Indonesia |
| JEL: | D10 I24 J24 J62 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hka:wpaper:2026-005 |