Working Paper: NBER ID: w19581
Authors: Will Dobbie; Roland G. Fryer Jr.
Abstract: High-performing charter schools can significantly increase the test scores of poor urban students. It is unclear whether these test score gains translate into improved outcomes later in life. We estimate the effects of high-performing charter schools on human capital, risky behaviors, and health outcomes using survey data from the Promise Academy in the Harlem Children's Zone. Six years after the random admissions lottery, youth offered admission to the Promise Academy middle school score 0.283 standard deviations higher on a nationally-normed math achievement test and are 14.1 percentage points more likely to enroll in college. Admitted females are 12.1 percentage points less likely to be pregnant in their teens, and males are 4.3 percentage points less likely to be incarcerated. We find little impact of the Promise Academy on self-reported health. We conclude with speculative evidence that high-performing schools may be sufficient to significantly improve human capital and reduce certain risky behaviors among the poor.
Keywords: Charter Schools; Human Capital; Risky Behaviors; Health Outcomes
JEL Codes: J01; J15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Winning the lottery (H27) | Higher math achievement test scores (C12) |
| Winning the lottery (H27) | Higher college enrollment (I23) |
| Winning the lottery (H27) | Lower likelihood of teenage pregnancy (J13) |
| Winning the lottery (H27) | Lower likelihood of incarceration (K14) |
| Winning the lottery (H27) | Health outcomes (I14) |