Schooling the Public
The Influence of Earning Industry Certifications on High School Graduation: Evidence from Florida
Elizabeth Glennie et al.
Educational Policy, forthcoming
Abstract:
Dropping out of high school creates barriers to economic self-sufficiency. Career and technical education (CTE) may help students engage with school by showing the connection between school and work. Prior research has shown that high school CTE participation promotes positive academic outcomes including high school graduation. This paper uses a quasi-experimental design to examine the association between certifications and on-time high school graduation. Our findings indicate that certifications exert a meaningful influence on the likelihood of high school graduation, and that the effect is stronger for students who are at risk for dropping out or are economically disadvantaged.
Can Career Academies Work as a School Turnaround Strategy?
Hannah Kistler, Joshua Childs & Shaun Dougherty
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, forthcoming
Abstract:
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, college and career readiness became the central focus of education policy in the United States. Career academies (CAs) are a popular way to support students in their postsecondary transitions, but little causal evidence exists about whether this model of schooling is effective in promoting learning and transition outcomes. We capitalize on the adoption of the CA model in a large school district that was under the threat of school turnaround and employ a generalized difference-in-differences approach to test whether adopting this model improved student outcomes. We find suggestive evidence that CA adoption improved graduation rates and that these effects were most likely concentrated among schools that had the lowest graduation rates at baseline.
Performance-Based Compensation Systems and Principal Job Performance
Hajime Mitani
American Educational Research Journal, forthcoming
Abstract:
The inequitable distribution of principal effectiveness raises concern among policymakers. Principal sorting likely contributes to wider achievement and opportunity gaps between low- and high-need schools. As a possible policy tool, policymakers proposed performance-based compensation systems (PBCS). Tennessee was one of the states that supported the implementation of PBCS. This study examined the relationship between PBCS and principal job performance in the state, using longitudinal administrative data, principal evaluation data, and unique PBCS data from 2012 to 2019. The study did not find consistently significant, positive relationships between PBCS and principal job performance. However, the relationships were generally more pronounced among high-need schools. The study concludes with detailed discussions about the results, the assumptions behind PBCS, limitations, and implications.
Centralization and Long-Term System Performance: Evidence From State Takeovers of School Districts
Beth Schueler
Political Research Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
Does centralization affect the performance of public institutions in the long run? Can states more successfully improve struggling bureaucracies than local governments? This paper explores these questions in the context of educational governance with a focus on state takeovers of school districts in the U.S. -- a shift away from the traditional school board governance arrangement toward more centralized decision-making at the state level. In recent decades, takeovers have become a more common policy response to perceived low performance of public school systems. This paper extends an earlier study on the topic to examine the longer-run effects of this form of political centralization on system performance. Using a nationwide sample and up-to-date event study methods, the paper finds no evidence that takeovers of districts between 2010 and 2018 generated improvements in student reading and math performance, up to nearly a decade after takeover occurred. Takeovers lasting a greater number of years are not associated with differential impacts. Findings are not driven by compositional changes in student populations or bias due to variation in treatment timing. This form of political centralization from local to state levels therefore does not appear to be a consistent tool for improving the performance of public institutions.
Spatial Explanations for Deferred Teacher Compensation: Unions and Competition for Teachers
Paul Bruno
Labor Studies Journal, forthcoming
Abstract:
Teacher compensation is often deferred until late in teachers' careers. Concerns about teacher shortages have raised concerns that backloading compensation in this way is inefficient. However, existing theoretical and empirical work does not clearly explain why these compensation structures often persist. Using detailed longitudinal teacher compensation data and spatial autoregressive models, I test two of the most common explanations for deferred teacher compensation. I find little evidence that school districts strategically frontload compensation to compete for teachers. However, I find evidence consistent with deferred compensation resulting at least in part from the influence of teachers' unions.
Effect of Controlled School Autonomy on Student Achievement: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Portfolio Schools
Yusuf Canbolat
Education Finance and Policy, forthcoming
Abstract:
Portfolio schools have become increasingly prevalent in urban school districts across the United States. These schools exemplify a model where school autonomy is integrated with district oversight, promoting a controlled form of autonomy. This study examines the impact of portfolio schools in Indianapolis on student achievement. To ensure balanced covariates between treatment and control groups, the study utilizes machine learning-generated inverse probability weighting and analyzes the ten years of data using student-fixed effect and event study approaches. The findings indicate that controlled school autonomy in the form of portfolio schools does not significantly affect student achievement overall. However, there is a negative effect for turnaround schools -- a subset of portfolio schools -- which serve disproportionately disadvantaged students. Additionally, portfolio charter schools, where disadvantaged students are overrepresented, perform worse than other charter schools. These results suggest that portfolio schools worsen student achievement in high-inequality settings. Potential mechanisms are discussed.
Need-Based Promise Programs, Performance Funding Bonuses, and the Enrollment of Low-Income Students
Amy Li & Yimeng Liu
Educational Policy, forthcoming
Abstract:
Certain statewide promise programs require students to demonstrate financial need, while state performance funding policies sometimes incorporate a financial bonus that incentivizes colleges to enroll or graduate low-income students. We use data on public, 4-year colleges from 2007-2008 to 2019-2020, and incorporate difference-in-differences analyses and event studies. We find that colleges affected by promise programs in Louisiana, New York, and Washington observed no changes to the number and percent of first-time, full-time (FTFT) Pell grant recipients. Colleges in states subject to a performance funding bonus experienced no changes to the number and percent of FTFT Pell grants recipients, and colleges in Louisiana subject to both policies experienced no changes to either outcome.
Effects of Large-Scale Early Math Interventions on Student Outcomes: Evidence From Kentucky's Math Achievement Fund
Zeyu Xu et al.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, forthcoming
Abstract:
Addressing the educational needs of students in math early on is critical given that early gaps in math skills widen further over the course of schooling. This study examines the effectiveness and costs of Kentucky's Math Achievement Fund -- a unique state-level program that combines targeted interventions, peer-coaching, and close collaboration among teachers to improve math achievement in grades K-3. The program is found to improve not only math achievement, but also reading test scores and non-test outcomes including student attendance and disciplinary incidents. The benefits exist across students from various socioeconomic backgrounds, and they are slightly higher for racial minorities.