The Effect of Extra Funding for Disadvantaged Pupils on Achievement

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in D I S C U S S I O N P A P E R S E R I E S Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der ArbeitInstitute for the Study ABSTRACTThe Effect of Extra Funding for Disadvantaged Pupils on Achievement * This paper evaluates the effects of two subsidies targeted at disadvantaged pupils in the Netherlands. The first scheme gives primary schools with at least 70 percent minority pupils extra funding for personnel. The second scheme gives primary schools with at least 70 percent pupils from different disadvantaged groups extra funding for computers and software. The cutoffs at 70 percent provide a regression discontinuity design which we exploit in a local difference-in-differences framework. For both subsidies we find negative point estimates. For the personnel subsidy these are in most cases not significantly different from zero. For the computer subsidy we find more evidence of negative effects. We discuss several explanations for these counterintuitive results.

Computers as pedagogical tools in Brazil: a pseudo-panel analysis

“…Our results are in line with some previous results in the literature such as Leuven et al (2004) and Angrist and Lavy (2002), who also find significant negative effects of increased ICT availability and use in schools especially on Mathematics test scores. These authors conclude that computer related instruction methods seem less effective than other instruction methods especially for learning Mathematics.…”

“…Angrist and Lavy (2002), using random additional funding for ICT in Israel find no significant effect on 8 th grade 3 maths and reading test scores, and a significant negative impact on 4 th grade maths scores. Leuven et al (2004), based on a regression discontinuity design, also find a negative effect of investing in educational software on pupil reading and maths test scores in disadvantaged primary schools in the Netherlands. These papers conclude that computer-based instruction methods seem less effective than traditional ones.…”

Who benefits from homework assignments?

“…The ndings in the current paper are therefore of interest because they inform us about an early source of such inequalities. Moreover, the Netherlands is a country with a longstanding tradition in attempting to promote equality of opportunity in education (Leuven et al, 2007). If the intention of assigning homework is to reinforce the children's learning process at home (and thereby bene t from it) and families are unequal to the task, the pupils will not receive the same quality of education.…”

Technology and Education

“…The finding that ICT investment generates limited educational gains is common in the literature. Leuven et al (2007) exploit a policy in the Netherlands that provided additional funding for computers and software to schools with more than seventy percent disadvantaged students. Using a regression discontinuity design, they find that while additional funding is not spent on more or newer computers, students do spend more time on a computer in school (presumably due to new software).…”