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A natural experiment in school accountability: The impact of school performance information on pupil progress

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  • Burgess, Simon
  • Wilson, Deborah
  • Worth, Jack

Abstract

We test the hypothesis that the abolition of school performance tables negatively affects school effectiveness. Our data allow us to implement a classic difference-in-difference analysis comparing outcomes in England and Wales, before and after the abolition of the tables in Wales. We find significant and robust evidence that this reform markedly reduced school effectiveness in Wales relative to England. There is significant heterogeneity across schools: schools in the top quartile of the league tables show no effect. We also report that the reform had no systematic significant impact on either sorting by ability or by socioeconomic status.

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  • Burgess, Simon & Wilson, Deborah & Worth, Jack, 2013. "A natural experiment in school accountability: The impact of school performance information on pupil progress," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 57-67.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:106:y:2013:i:c:p:57-67
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2013.06.005
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    Cited by:

    1. Annika B. Bergbauer & Eric A. Hanushek & Ludger Woessmann, 2024. "Testing," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(2), pages 349-388.
    2. MOROZUMI Atsuyoshi & TANAKA Ryuichi, 2023. "School Accountability and Student Achievement: Neighboring schools matter," Discussion papers 23004, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    3. Figlio, D. & Karbownik, K. & Salvanes, K.G., 2016. "Education Research and Administrative Data," Handbook of the Economics of Education,, Elsevier.
    4. Colin Green & Ole Henning Nyhus & Kari Vea Salvanes, "undated". "How does testing young children influence educational attainment and well-being?," Working Paper Series 19422, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
    5. Burgess, Simon, 2016. "Human Capital and Education: The State of the Art in the Economics of Education," IZA Discussion Papers 9885, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Beland, Louis-Philippe & Murphy, Richard, 2016. "Ill Communication: Technology, distraction & student performance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 61-76.
    7. Santosh Kumar & Ramona Molitor & Sebastian Vollmer, 2014. "Children of Drought: Rainfall Shocks and Early Child Health in Rural India," Working Papers 1407, Sam Houston State University, Department of Economics and International Business.
    8. Gjefsen, Hege Marie & Gunnes, Trude, 2016. "The effects of School Accountability on Teacher Mobility and Teacher Sorting," MPRA Paper 69664, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Gerdes, Christer, 2015. "Does Performance Information Affect Job Seekers in Selecting Private Providers in Voucher-Based ALMP Programs?," IZA Discussion Papers 8992, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Carmen Aina & Massimiliano Bratti & Enrico Lippo, 2021. "Ranking high schools using university student performance in Italy," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 38(1), pages 293-321, April.
    11. Kim, Dongwoo & Koedel, Cory & Ni, Shawn & Podgursky, Michael, 2017. "Labor market frictions and production efficiency in public schools," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 54-67.
    12. Hege Marie Gjefsen & Trude Gunnes, 2015. "School accountability Incentives or sorting?," Discussion Papers 815, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    13. Joseph Regan-Stansfield, 2017. "The Impact of Standardised Testing on Later High Stakes Test Outcomes," Working Papers 161114030, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    14. Ellen Greaves & Iftikhar Hussain & Birgitta Rabe & Imran Rasul, 2023. "Parental Responses to Information about School Quality: Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(654), pages 2334-2402.
    15. Ruth Lupton & Polina Obolenskaya, 2013. "Labour's Record on Education: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010," CASE - Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper 03, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    16. Burgess, Simon & Thomson, Dave, 2023. "Beyond the threshold: The implications for pupil achievement of reforming school performance metrics," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    17. Morozumi, Atsuyoshi & Tanaka, Ryuichi, 2020. "Should School-Level Results of National Assessments Be Made Public?," IZA Discussion Papers 13450, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Yuta Kuroda, 2022. "What does the disclosure of school quality information bring? The effect through the housing market," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(1), pages 125-149, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    School accountability; School effectiveness; Performance tables;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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