Peer Quality and the Academic Benefits to Attending Better Schools

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hoekstra, Mark; Mouganie, Pierre; Wang, Yaojing
• 署名单位: Texas A&M University System; Texas A&M University College Station; National Bureau of Economic Research; American University of Beirut; University of International Business & Economics; Bank of America Corporation
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/697465
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 841-884
• 关键词: regression-discontinuity designs; trinidad-and-tobago; student-achievement; exam schools; urban china; class size; teachers; returns; performance; earnings

摘要

Despite strong demand for attending high schools with better peers, there is mixed evidence on whether doing so improves academic outcomes. We estimate the cognitive returns to high school quality by comparing the college entrance exam scores of students in China who were barely above and below high school admission thresholds. Results indicate that while peer quality improves significantly across all sets of admission cutoffs, the only increase in performance occurs from attending tier 1 high schools. Further evidence suggests the returns to high school quality are driven by teacher quality rather than peer quality or class size.