Working Paper: NBER ID: w28336
Authors: Renata Lemos; Karthik Muralidharan; Daniela Scur
Abstract: This paper uses new data to study school management and productivity in India. We report four main results. First, management quality in public schools is low, and ~2σ below high-income countries with comparable data. Second, private schools have higher management quality, driven by much stronger people management. Third, people management quality is correlated with both independent measures of teaching practice, as well as school productivity measured by student value added. Fourth, private school teacher pay is positively correlated with teacher effectiveness, and better-managed private schools are more likely to retain their most effective teachers. Neither pattern is seen in public schools.
Keywords: school management; productivity; India; public schools; private schools
JEL Codes: I25; M5; O1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| management quality in public schools in Andhra Pradesh (AP) (I21) | lower educational outcomes in public schools (I21) |
| private schools in AP exhibit significantly higher management quality (I21) | better retention of effective teachers (I21) |
| improved management quality (L15) | better teaching practices (A21) |
| improved management quality (L15) | higher student value added (D29) |
| better management practices (M54) | personnel policies that reward effective teaching (M52) |
| effective teachers in private schools earning approximately 26% more than less effective counterparts (J45) | better educational outcomes (I24) |