Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP9513
Authors: Giuseppe Bertola; Daniele Checchi
Abstract: Private school students do not always perform better in standardized tests. We suggest that this may be explained by choice of private schooling by less capable students in countries where government schools are better suited to talented students. To assess the empirical relevance of this mechanism, we exploit cross-country variation in the PISA 2009 survey of differences between private and state school regarding organizational features that are differently suitable for students with different learning ability. We seek and find evidence of this mechanism?s empirical relevance in controlled regressions that treat within-country variation of PISA scores as an indicator of unobserved ability to learn.
Keywords: Educational Background; PISA Survey; Private Education; Talent
JEL Codes: I21; I24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Private schooling choice (I21) | Student performance in standardized tests (D29) |
| Less capable backgrounds (I24) | Private schooling choice (I21) |
| Government schools quality (I21) | Private schooling choice (I21) |
| Government schools quality (I21) | Student performance in standardized tests (D29) |
| Private schooling choice (I21) | Lower quality students (D29) |
| Characteristics of government and private schools (H52) | Student performance in standardized tests (D29) |
| Government schools attract high-talent students (D29) | Private schools attract lower-quality students (I21) |