Working Paper: NBER ID: w17104
Authors: Elizabeth Oltmans Ananat; Anna Gassman-Pines; Dania V. Francis; Christina M. Gibson-Davis
Abstract: We examine effects of state-level job losses on student achievement. Losses to 1% of the working-age population decrease eighth-grade math scores by .076 standard deviations, with consistently negative but less precise effects on eighth-grade reading and on fourth-grade math and reading. Effects are 34 times larger than found when comparing students with displaced parents to otherwise similar students, suggesting that downturns affect all students, not just those whose parents lose employment. Evidence is inconsistent with a "downward spiral of behavior" or reduced school funding as causal mechanisms; rather, reduced income and increased distress likely inhibit performance. States experiencing displacement of 1% of workers likely see an 8% increase in schools missing No Child Left Behind requirements.
Keywords: student achievement; job loss; economic downturns; education policy; No Child Left Behind
JEL Codes: I20; J60
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Job losses (J63) | Eighth-grade math scores (C29) |
| Job losses (J63) | All students in affected areas' performance (I24) |
| Job losses (J63) | Increased distress and reduced income (H31) |
| Increased distress and reduced income (H31) | Eighth-grade math scores (C29) |
| Job losses (J63) | African American students' performance (I24) |
| Job losses (J63) | Other racial groups' performance (J15) |