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The Effects of Grade Retention on Human Capital Accumulation

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  • Solis, Alex

    (Department of Economics)

Abstract

Grade retention is a widely used educational policy promoting human capital. However, its benefi ts and costs are still under debate. Retention may a ffect learning, cognitive and psychological capacities, educational attainment and the lifetime income (through the timing of entry to the labor market). This paper estimates the causal eff ects of grade retention on all these outcomes exploiting a retention rule based on the school GPA that enables a regression discontinuity design. I use administrative data from a 15-years panel on the universe of students in the educational system in Chile. The fi ndings are fourfold. First, (marginally) retained students achieve the same amount of education than (marginally) promoted (i.e., high school graduation, higher education enrollment, etc.). Second, they improve their cognitive ability (measured by test scores) in the short and the long run. Third, induces parents to increase parental time investments and expectations. Fourth,enhances student psychological traits, and overall learning experience.

Suggested Citation

  • Solis, Alex, 2017. "The Effects of Grade Retention on Human Capital Accumulation," Working Paper Series 2017:15, Uppsala University, Department of Economics, revised 07 Dec 2017.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:uunewp:2017_015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David S. Lee & Thomas Lemieux, 2010. "Regression Discontinuity Designs in Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(2), pages 281-355, June.
    2. Díaz, Juan & Grau, Nicolás & Reyes, Tatiana & Rivera, Jorge, 2021. "The impact of grade retention on juvenile crime," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Schwerdt, Guido & West, Martin R. & Winters, Marcus A., 2017. "The effects of test-based retention on student outcomes over time: Regression discontinuity evidence from Florida," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 154-169.
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    1. Díaz, Juan & Grau, Nicolás & Reyes, Tatiana & Rivera, Jorge, 2021. "The impact of grade retention on juvenile crime," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Grade retention; attainment; cognitive achievement; high school graduation; parental investmet; self-esteem; learning.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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