Working Paper: NBER ID: w21908
Authors: David H. Autor; David N. Figlio; Krzysztof Karbownik; Jeffrey Roth; Melanie Wasserman
Abstract: Recent evidence indicates that boys and girls are differently affected by the quantity and quality of family inputs received in childhood. We assess whether this is also true for schooling inputs. Using matched Florida birth and school administrative records, we estimate the causal effect of school quality on the gender gap in educational outcomes by contrasting opposite-sex siblings who attend the same sets of schools—thereby purging family heterogeneity—and leveraging within-family variation in school quality arising from family moves. Investigating middle school test scores, absences and suspensions, we find that boys benefit more than girls from cumulative exposure to higher quality schools.
Keywords: School Quality; Gender Gap; Educational Achievement; Sibling Comparisons
JEL Codes: I21; J12; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| School Quality (I21) | Educational Outcomes (I21) |
| Boys Benefit More from School Quality (I24) | Gender Gap in Educational Outcomes (I24) |
| School Quality (I21) | Test Scores (Y10) |
| School Quality (I21) | Absences (J22) |
| School Quality (I21) | Suspensions (Y40) |
| Boys Attending Lowest Quality Schools (I24) | Performance Relative to Girls (J16) |