Buy the Book? Evidence on the Effect of Textbook Funding on School-Level Achievement

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Holden, Kristian L.
• 署名单位: American Institutes for Research
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20150112
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 100-127
• 关键词: regression-discontinuity designs; class size-reduction; student-achievement; developing-countries; academic-achievement; test-scores; education; IMPACT; EFFICIENCY; RESOURCES

摘要

This paper considers the effect of textbook funding on school-level test performance by using a quasi-experimental setting in the United States. I consider a lawsuit in California that provided a one-time payment of $96.90 per student for textbooks if schools fell below a threshold of academic performance. Exploiting this variation with a regression discontinuity (RD) design, I find that textbook funding has significant positive effects on school-level achievement in elementary schools and has a high benefit-per-dollar. In contrast to elementary schools, I find no effect in middle and high schools though these estimates are very imprecise.