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School quality and learning gains in rural Guatemala

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  • Marshall, Jeffery H.

Abstract

I use unusually detailed data on schools, teachers and classrooms to explain student achievement growth in rural Guatemala. Several variables that have received little attention in previous studies - including the number of school days, teacher content knowledge and pedagogical methods - are robust predictors of achievement. A series of decompositions by student ethnicity and type of school shed some additional light on important questions in the Guatemalan context, and beyond. The large indigenous test score gap is not explained by differences in an extensive list of observable features of schools. The large effect for community characteristics suggests peer group effects or more general institutional differences related to services or labor markets. PRONADE community schools are associated with moderate gains vis--vis public schools in areas related to utilization of capacity, such as days worked. But these gains are largely offset by lower teacher capacity, which highlights the challenge of improving school quality in poor, rural areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Marshall, Jeffery H., 2009. "School quality and learning gains in rural Guatemala," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 207-216, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:28:y:2009:i:2:p:207-216
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    Cited by:

    1. Jan Bietenbeck & Marc Piopiunik & Simon Wiederhold, 2018. "Africa’s Skill Tragedy: Does Teachers’ Lack of Knowledge Lead to Low Student Performance?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 53(3), pages 553-578.
    2. Marchionni, Mariana & Vazquez, Emmanuel & Pinto, Florencia, 2012. "Desigualdad educativa en la Argentina. Análisis en base a los datos PISA 2009 [Education Inequality in Argentina. An analysis based on PISA 2009 data]," MPRA Paper 56420, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Nadir Altinok & Manos Antoninis & Phu Nguyen-Van, 2017. "Smarter Teachers, Smarter Pupils? Some New Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers of BETA 2017-35, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    4. Marchionni, Mariana & Pinto, Florencia & Vazquez, Emmanuel, 2013. "Determinantes de la desigualdad en el desempeño educativo en la Argentina [Determinants of the inequality in PISA test scores in Argentina]," MPRA Paper 56421, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. World Bank, 2011. "Vietnam," World Bank Publications - Reports 27450, The World Bank Group.
    6. Pritchett Lant & Sandefur Justin, 2014. "Context Matters for Size: Why External Validity Claims and Development Practice do not Mix," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 4(2), pages 161-197, March.
    7. Cuesta, Ana & Glewwe, Paul & Krause, Brooke, 2016. "School infrastructure and educational outcomes: a literature review, with special reference to Latin America," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 123331, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Azaola, Marta Cristina, 2014. "Community school programmes in Latin America: Imagining the long-term impact of developing pupils’ agency," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 80-86.
    9. Marshall, Jeffery H., 2011. "School quality signals and attendance in rural Guatemala," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1445-1455.
    10. Emanuela Di Gropello & Jeffery Marshall, 2011. "Decentralization and educational performance: evidence from the PROHECO Community School Program in rural Honduras," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 161-180.
    11. Hynsjö, Disa & Damon, Amy, 2016. "Bilingual education in Peru: Evidence on how Quechua-medium education affects indigenous children's academic achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 116-132.
    12. Lant Pritchett, Justin Sandefur, 2013. "Context Matters for Size: Why External Validity Claims and Development Practice Don't Mix-Working Paper 336," Working Papers 336, Center for Global Development.

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