In a Small Moment: Class Size and Moral Hazard in the Italian Mezzogiorno

Angrist, Joshua D.; Battistin, Erich; Vuri, Daniela

doi:10.1257/app.20160267

Cited by 49 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…This additional restriction helps to account for the potential score manipulation in primary schools. Angrist, Battistin and Vuri () used data from INVALSI tests for the years 2009–12 and demonstrated that – especially in southern Italy – small classes increase the manipulation of test scores. They suggested that, if small classes are increased by ten students, this can reduce the manipulation of test scores by the order of 5 per cent .…”

Section: Empirical Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Stability of School Performance Estimates over Time

Minaya

Agasisti

2019

Fiscal Studies

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When using school performance indicators for the purposes of accountability and school choice, it is very important that measures are stable over time. This issue is very relevant when the system is based on the allocation of students to the same teachers for the whole educational cycle (e.g. at primary school level). Using administrative data provided by the National Evaluation Committee for Education (INVALSI), we explore the stability of performance estimates for Italian primary schools. We first construct school performance metrics using INVALSI standardised tests, by taking advantage of a rich array of individual‐level variables (including prior achievement) that allow us to estimate a school effect in a ‘value added’ perspective. We assess differences in performance across schools and the persistence of these differences across cohorts. We find that controlling for compositional differences is important; therefore, estimates of school performances are unstable across metrics, and correlations across cohorts decline over time.

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Section: Empirical Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Stability of School Performance Estimates over Time

Minaya

Agasisti

2019

Fiscal Studies

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“…INVALSI test scores are intended to evaluate pupils' as well as teachers' performance. Hence, it could be reasonable to suspect that some teachers could help their students when doing tests in order to achieve a better evaluation for the entire classroom (see Bertoni, Brunello, andRocco 2013 andAngrist, Battistin, andVuri 2014 for relevant studies on the topic using INVALSI data). In our specific case, however, the issue is likely to play a very minor role since our main strategy relies on comparison between groups of pupils that differ from each other only by 1 month of age, so that there is no reason to think that one group is affected by cheating phenomena differently from the other one.…”

Section: B Normative Framementioning

confidence: 99%

PARENTS KNOW THEM BETTER: THE EFFECT OF OPTIONAL EARLY ENTRY ON PUPILS' SCHOOLING ATTAINMENT

2018

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The effect of optional early school entry on pupils' educational outcomes is investigated using data covering the entire population of Italian primary school students and exploiting exogenous thresholds imposed by norms regulating first enrollment. Results highlight the fact that pupils whose parents can choose when their children start school perform better than those who are bounded by terms imposed by law. These findings suggest that parental choice leads to a better match between pupils' characteristics and the beginning of formal learning. Results show that giving parents the option to anticipate or delay school entry could be a beneficial measure. (JEL I20, H52)

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“…Our estimation approach resembles the analysis of Boston's Metco desegregation program by Angrist and Lang (2004) in that it uses distinct sources of variation to identify the separate effects of interest (differences in types of policy and study goals to one side). Across a variety of settings, studies in the class size literature have found positive effects on achievement (for instance, Krueger 1999, Angrist and Lavy 1999, Krueger and Whitmore 2001, and Gilraine 2020 as well as no effects (including Hoxby 2000 andAngrist, Battistin andVuri 2017). Research studying the Californian context has delivered mixed results similar to the broader literature (see Unlu 2005 andJepsen andRivkin 2009 for positive test score effects and Bohrnstedt and Stecher 2002 for non-effects).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Estimating the Direct and Indirect Effects of Major Education Reforms

Gilraine¹,

Macartney²,

McMillan³

2018

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We propose an approach for credibly estimating indirect sorting effects of major education reforms and placing them alongside the reforms' direct and persistent effects for the first time. Applying our approach to California's statewide class size reduction program, we estimate a large positive direct effect of smaller classes on test scores and an even larger indirect effect due to demographic changes as private school students switch into public schools; both effects also persist. Accounting for sorting using these estimates raises the program's benefit-cost ratio significantly. Further, our analysis indicates that indirect sorting is likely relevant in policy evaluations more generally.

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In a Small Moment: Class Size and Moral Hazard in the Italian Mezzogiorno

Cited by 49 publications

References 41 publications

Evaluating the Stability of School Performance Estimates over Time

Evaluating the Stability of School Performance Estimates over Time

PARENTS KNOW THEM BETTER: THE EFFECT OF OPTIONAL EARLY ENTRY ON PUPILS' SCHOOLING ATTAINMENT

Estimating the Direct and Indirect Effects of Major Education Reforms

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