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What triggers school improvement? Evidence from a court induced change in Florida's A+ accountability plan

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  • Benedikt Siegler

Abstract

In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court ended the state funded voucher program which allowed students of repeatedly failing public schools to transfer to a private school. This gives us the unique opportunity to evaluate the incentive character of a private school competition threat in school accountability systems. Using administrative student-level data from Florida and a difference-in-discontinuities approach, I analyze whether this reduction in sanction threats led failing schools to lower their effort in raising educational performance. Results indicate that the termination of the voucher program did not attenuate the overall incentive effect of the sanction regime. This leads to conclude that the public school choice option, which remained unaffected by the court’s decision, is a sufficient deterrent. This finding has important policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Benedikt Siegler, 2013. "What triggers school improvement? Evidence from a court induced change in Florida's A+ accountability plan," Working Papers 135, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    • Handle: RePEc:bav:wpaper:135_siegler
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    File URL: https://bgpe.cms.rrze.uni-erlangen.de/files/2023/07/135_What-triggers-school-improvement_Evidence-from-a-court-induced-change-in-Floridas-A-accountability-plan.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dickert-Conlin, Stacy & Elder, Todd, 2010. "Suburban legend: School cutoff dates and the timing of births," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 826-841, October.
    2. Rajashri Chakrabarti, 2013. "Vouchers, Public School Response, And The Role Of Incentives: Evidence From Florida," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 500-526, January.
    3. Chakrabarti Rajashri, 2013. "Impact of Voucher Design on Public School Performance: Evidence from Florida and Milwaukee Voucher Programs," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 349-394, July.
    4. repec:mpr:mprres:6364 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Hanley Chiang, "undated". "How Accountability Pressure on Failing Schools Affects Student Achievement," Mathematica Policy Research Reports c58a3b537e324447b94a2bd41, Mathematica Policy Research.
    6. Chiang, Hanley, 2009. "How accountability pressure on failing schools affects student achievement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(9-10), pages 1045-1057, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    School accountability; Sanction threats; School choice; Florida public schools; Difference-in-Discontinuities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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