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High stakes in the classroom, high stakes on the street: The effects of community violence on students’ standardized test performance

Author

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  • PatrickSharkey
  • Amy Ellen Schwartz
  • Ingrid Gould Ellen
  • Johanna Lacoe

Abstract

This article examines the effect of exposure to violent crime on students’ standardized test performance among a sample of students in New York City public schools. To identify the effect of exposure to community violence on children’s test scores, we compare students exposed to an incident of violent crime on their own blockface in the week prior to the exam to students exposed in the week after the exam. The results show that such exposure to violent crime reduces performance on English language arts assessments and has no effect on math scores. The effect of exposure to violent crime is most pronounced among African Americans and reduces the passing rates of black students by approximately 3 percentage points.

Suggested Citation

  • PatrickSharkey & Amy Ellen Schwartz & Ingrid Gould Ellen & Johanna Lacoe, 2013. "High stakes in the classroom, high stakes on the street: The effects of community violence on students’ standardized test performance," Working Paper 9313, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
    • Handle: RePEc:luk:wpaper:9313
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    File URL: http://lusk.usc.edu/sites/default/files/Sharkey-Schwartz-Ellen_Lacoe_High_Stakes_Lusk-working-paper-06.18.14.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bencsik, Panka, 2018. "The non-financial costs of violent public disturbances: Emotional responses to the 2011 riots in England," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 73-82.
    2. Pedro Paulo Orraca Romano, 2015. "Crime Exposure and Educational Outcomes in Mexico," Working Paper Series 7715, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    3. Johanna Lacoe, 2013. "How Feelings of Safety at School Affect Educational Outcomes," Working Paper 9314, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
    4. Cabral, Marika & Kim, Bokyung & Rossin-Slater, Maya & Schnell, Molly & Schwandt, Hannes, 2020. "Trauma at School: The Impacts of Shootings on Students' Human Capital and Economic Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 13998, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Roca, Jorge De la & Ellen, Ingrid Gould & Steil, Justin, 2018. "Does segregation matter for Latinos?," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 129-141.
    6. Seth Gershenson & Erdal Tekin, 2018. "The Effect of Community Traumatic Events on Student Achievement: Evidence from the Beltway Sniper Attacks," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 13(4), pages 513-544, Fall.
    7. Gerard Torrats-Espinosa, 2020. "Crime and Inequality in Academic Achievement Across School Districts in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(1), pages 123-145, February.
    8. Robert J. Sampson, 2016. "The Characterological Imperative: On Heckman, Humphries, and Kautz's The Myth of Achievement Tests: The GED and the Role of Character in American Life," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 54(2), pages 493-513, June.
    9. Eunsik Chang & María Padilla-Romo, 2019. "The Effects of Local Violent Crime on High-Stakes Tests," Working Papers 2019-03, University of Tennessee, Department of Economics.
    10. Orraca Romano, Pedro Paulo, 2016. "Essays on development and labour economics for Mexico," Economics PhD Theses 0816, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    11. Sarah A Cordes & Amy Ellen Schwartz & Leanna Stiefel & Jeffrey Zabel, 2016. "Is neighbourhood destiny? Exploring the link between neighbourhood mobility and student outcomes," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(2), pages 400-417, February.
    12. Martin Foureaux Koppensteiner & Lívia Menezes, 2021. "Violence and Human Capital Investments," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(3), pages 787-823.
    13. Catherine Kannermeyer, 2016. "Subjective Well-Being Adult South Africans' Life Satisfaction (2008 - 2014)," SALDRU Working Papers 177, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    14. Amy Ellen Schwartz & Agustina Laurito & Johanna Lacoe & Patrick Sharkey & Ingrid Gould Ellen, 2022. "The academic effects of chronic exposure to neighbourhood violence," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(14), pages 3005-3021, November.
    15. Johanna Lacoe, 2013. "Unequally Safe," Working Paper 9312, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
    16. Alex Braithwaite & Tiffany S. Chu & Justin Curtis & Faten Ghosn, 2019. "Violence and the perception of risk associated with hosting refugees," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 473-492, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    community violence; neighborhood effects; academic performance; racial disparities; school settings;
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