Working Paper: NBER ID: w14550
Authors: Brian Jacob; Jens Ludwig
Abstract: This review paper, prepared for the forthcoming Russell Sage volume Changing Poverty, considers the ability of different education policies to improve the learning outcomes of low-income children in America. Disagreements on this question stem in part from different beliefs about the problems with our nation's public schools. In our view there is some empirical support for each of the general concerns that have been raised about public schools serving high-poverty student populations, including: the need for more funding for those school inputs where additional spending is likely to pass a benefit-cost test; limited capacity of many schools to substantially improve student learning by improving the quality of instruction on their own; and the need for improved incentives for both teachers and students, and for additional operational flexibility. Evidence suggests that the most productive changes to existing education policies are likely to come from increased investments in early childhood education for poor children, improving the design of the federal No Child Left Behind accountability system, providing educators with incentives to adopt practices with a compelling research base while expanding efforts to develop and identify effective instructional regimes, and continued support and evaluation of a variety of public school choice options.
Keywords: education policy; low-income children; educational outcomes; public schools
JEL Codes: I20
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Increased funding for school inputs (H52) | Improved educational outcomes (I24) |
| Improvements in instructional quality (I21) | Enhanced student learning (I21) |
| Design of accountability systems (C90) | Changes in teacher and student behavior (A21) |
| Increased investments in early childhood education (I21) | Improved learning outcomes for low-income children (I24) |
| Reducing class sizes (A21) | Enhanced student performance (D29) |
| Providing financial incentives to attract and retain high-quality teachers (I21) | Better student outcomes (I21) |