Working Paper: NBER ID: w16817
Authors: C. Kirabo Jackson
Abstract: Existing studies on single-sex schooling suffer from biases because students who attend single-sex schools differ in unmeasured ways from those who do not. In Trinidad and Tobago students are assigned to secondary schools based on an algorithm allowing one to address self-selection bias and estimate the causal effect of attending a single-sex school versus a similar coeducational school. While students (particularly females) with strong expressed preferences for single-sex schools benefit, most students perform no better at single-sex schools. Girls at single-sex schools take fewer sciences courses and more traditionally female subjects.
Keywords: Single-Sex Schools; Student Achievement; Course Selection; Trinidad and Tobago
JEL Codes: I20; J00
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| attending singlesex school (I24) | overall academic outcomes (I24) |
| strong preferences for singlesex schools (I24) | academic benefits (I23) |
| attending singlesex school (I24) | participation in STEM fields (I24) |
| selectivity of singlesex schools (I24) | academic outcomes (I21) |