Spending more of the school day in math class: Evidence from a regression discontinuity in middle school

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Taylor, Eric
• 署名单位: Stanford University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2014.06.002
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 162-181
• 关键词: Education production; Remedial education; Math achievement; Effect persistence

摘要

For students whose math skills lag expectations, public schools often increase the fraction of the school day spent on math instruction. Studying middle-school students and using regression discontinuity methods, I estimate the causal effect of requiring two math classes-one remedial, one regular-instead of just one class. Math achievement grows much faster under the requirement, 0.16-0.18 student standard deviations. Yet, one year after returning to a regular one-class schedule, the initial gains decay by as much as half, and two years later just one-third of the initial treatment effect remains. This pattern of decaying effects over time mirrors other educational interventions-assignment to a more skilled teacher, reducing class size, retaining students-but spending more time on math carries different costs. One cost is notable, more time in math crowds out instruction in other subjects. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.