Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP18672
Authors: Francesco Agostinelli; Ciro Avitabile; Matteo Bobba
Abstract: This paper provides novel insights into the science of scaling by examining an edu- cational mentoring program in Mexico. The analysis encompasses two independent field experiments, and seizes a unique opportunity to learn from the government’s implementation of the same intervention. While the program originally implemented at scale demonstrates limited effectiveness, the introduction of a new modality with enhanced mentor training significantly improves children’s outcomes. Mentor-parent interactions are found to stimulate parental engagement at the community-school level, which emerges as a critical factor for the scalability of the program. Our findings offer compelling evidence on the socially determined drivers of education interventions at scale.
Keywords: children's skills; parental investment; community engagement; science of scaling
JEL Codes: C90; C93; D02; I3; J1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| api original (Y20) | children's academic achievement (I24) |
| api plus (Y60) | children's academic achievement (I24) |
| api plus (Y60) | children's reading scores (I21) |
| api plus (Y60) | children's math scores (C29) |
| api plus (Y60) | children's socio-emotional scores (I24) |
| api plus (Y60) | probability of enrolling in seventh grade (A21) |
| api plus (Y60) | parental engagement (I24) |
| mentor-parent interactions (C92) | parental engagement (I24) |
| parental engagement (I24) | school closures (J65) |