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Is the rise in high school graduation rates real? High-stakes school accountability and strategic behavior

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  • Harris, Douglas N.
  • Liu, Lihan
  • Barrett, Nathan
  • Li, Ruoxi

Abstract

We show that publicly reported U.S. high school graduation rates have increased by 10-18 percentage points over the past two decades. Using national difference-in-differences analyses of state- and district-level variation in graduation rates, we also find that graduation accountability from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was likely a principal cause. Additional analysis of high school graduation exams, GEDs, credit recovery, and high school exit codes suggest that strategic behavior is not a primary explanation. This provides some of the first evidence to date that federal accountability has substantially increased the nation's stock of human capital

Suggested Citation

  • Harris, Douglas N. & Liu, Lihan & Barrett, Nathan & Li, Ruoxi, 2023. "Is the rise in high school graduation rates real? High-stakes school accountability and strategic behavior," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:82:y:2023:i:c:s0927537123000301
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102355
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    Cited by:

    1. Gregg, John J. & Lavertu, Stéphane, 2023. "Test-based accountability and educational equity: Breaking through local district politics?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human capital production; high school graduation; school accountability;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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