Economics of Education Readings

“EFP Takeaways: Long-Run Trends in the U.S. SES-Achievement Gap” by Hanushek (Achievement Gaps)

4 longitudinal testing regimes; SES achievement gap shave closed slowly but will take long time to close

Tennessee STAR

kindergarteners randomly assigned to small classes, regular classes, or regular classes with teacher’s aide; small class sizes led to higher achievement; students in small classes continued to outperform peers later; classes with aides did not match small class effects; teacher and classroom quality resulted in higher earnings later in life

Chetty, Rockoff, Friedman: Teacher Quality and Future Earnings, evidence from NYC (Teachers)

actual assigned teacher or change in likelihood of exposure to teacher due to teacher entry/exit; teacher quality has causal impact on adult earnings; as test score effects fade, earnings effects hold

“The Portfolio of Economic Policies Needed to Fight Climate Change” (Climate Change)

carbon pricing, support green R&D, standards and bans, targeted subsidies, carbon border adjustments

The Impacts of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility: Childhood Exposure Effects and County-Level Estimates (Neighborhoods)

exploits family moves across neighborhoods to isolate neighborhood effects from family background; childhood neighborhood conditions have strong causal effects on long-term outcomes; each additional year in a higher-opportunity neighborhood improves outcomes linearly; uses sibling comparisons, age at move, and quasi-experimental variation to distinguish neighborhood effects from family selection

“How Children Succeed” (Achievement Gaps)

productive failure vs. destructive failure; non-cognitive skills are crucial for long-term success and are developed through struggle; moderate stress and support strengthens learnings; chronic stress impairs brain development and executive function; supportive teachers, parents, and schools help children interpret failure and overcome setbacks

“The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession: Prestige, Interest, Preparation, and Satisfaction over the Last Half Century” (Teacher Status)

examines prestige, interest, preparation, and job satisfaction; sharp decline in 1970s; rapid improvement in 1980s-mid 1990s; relative stability in mid 1990s-2010s; sustained decline in post 2010-present

“Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap” (Public School Choice)

charter schools perform about the same as traditional public schools; certain urban charter schools show substantial academic gains for disadvantaged students, especially those with a no-excuse model

“School Vouchers: A Survey of the Economics Literature” (Private School Choice)

universal vs. targeted; full vs. partial; state-funded vs. local-funded; lottery vs. open enrollment; eligible schools; accountability