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Does Whole-School Reform Boost Student Performance? The Case of New York City

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Abstract

Thousands of schools around the country have implemented whole-school reform programs to boost student performance. This paper uses quasi-experimental methods to estimate the impact of whole-school reform on students' reading performance in New York City, where various reform programs were adopted in dozens of troubled elementary schools in the mid-1990s. This paper complements studies based on random assignment by examining a broad-based reform effort and explicitly accounting for implementation quality. Two popular reform programs--the School Development and Success for All--do not significantly increase reading scores but might have if they had been fully implemented. The More Effective Schools program does boost reading scores, particularly for the poorest students, but only when program "trainers" remain in the school and the students are native English speakers.

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  • Robert Bifulco & William Duncombe & John Yinger, 2003. "Does Whole-School Reform Boost Student Performance? The Case of New York City," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 55, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    • Handle: RePEc:max:cprwps:55
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    1. Cecilia Elena Rouse, 1998. "Private School Vouchers and Student Achievement: An Evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(2), pages 553-602.
    2. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    3. Thomas D. Cook & H. David Hunt & Robert F. Murphy, "undated". "Comer's School Development Program in Chicago: A Theory-Based Evaluation," IPR working papers 98-24, Institute for Policy Resarch at Northwestern University.
    4. Howard S. Bloom, 1984. "Estimating the Effect of Job-Training Programs, Using Longitudinal Data: Ashenfelter's Findings Reconsidered," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 19(4), pages 544-556.
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    Cited by:

    1. Catherine Haeck & Pierre Lefebvre & Philip Merrigan, 2011. "The Distributional Impacts of a Universal School Reform on Mathematical Achievements: a Natural Experiment from Canada (revised)," Cahiers de recherche 1135, CIRPEE.
    2. Steven W. Hemelt & Brian Jacob, 2017. "Differentiated Accountability and Education Production: Evidence from NCLB Waivers," NBER Working Papers 23461, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, 2012. "Fiscal effects of budget referendums: evidence from New York school districts," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 77-95, January.
    4. Lisa Dragoset & Susanne James-Burdumy & Kristin Hallgren & Irma Perez-Johnson & Mariesa Herrmann & Christina Tuttle & Megan Hague Angus & Rebecca Herman & Matthew Murray & Corutney Tanenbaum & Cheryl , 2015. "Usage of Policies and Practices Promoted by Race to the Top," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 4b296d4310f843acad1f80b5a, Mathematica Policy Research.
    5. Steven W. Hemelt & Brian A. Jacob, 2020. "How Does an Accountability Program that Targets Achievement Gaps Affect Student Performance?," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 15(1), pages 45-74, Winter.
    6. Sade Bonilla & Thomas S. Dee, 2020. "The Effects of School Reform under NCLB Waivers: Evidence from Focus Schools in Kentucky," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 15(1), pages 75-103, Winter.
    7. Katharine O. Strunk & Julie A. Marsh & Ayesha K. Hashim & Susan Bush-Mecenas & Tracey Weinstein, 2016. "The Impact of Turnaround Reform on Student Outcomes: Evidence and Insights from the Los Angeles Unified School District," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 11(3), pages 251-282, Summer.
    8. Roel van Elk & Suzanne Kok, 2014. "The impact of a comprehensive school reform policy for failing schools on educational achievement; Results of the first four years," CPB Discussion Paper 264.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    9. Thomas Dee, 2012. "School Turnarounds: Evidence from the 2009 Stimulus," NBER Working Papers 17990, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Roel Elk & Suzanne Kok, 2016. "The Impact of a Comprehensive School Reform Policy for Weak Schools on Educational Achievement; Results of the First 4 years," De Economist, Springer, vol. 164(4), pages 445-476, December.
    11. Roel van Elk & Suzanne Kok, 2014. "The impact of a comprehensive school reform policy for failing schools on educational achievement; Results of the first four years," CPB Discussion Paper 264, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    12. Lisa Dragoset & Susanne James-Burdumy & Kristin Hallgren & Irma Perez-Johnson & Mariesa Herrmann & Christina Tuttle & Megan Hague Angus & Rebecca Herman & Matthew Murray & Courtney Tanenbaum & Cheryl , 2015. "Usage of Practices Promoted by School Improvement Grants," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 8e99f01663504ef5b9f8357f6, Mathematica Policy Research.

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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