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Charter Schools and Labor Market Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Will S. Dobbie
  • Roland G. Fryer, Jr

Abstract

We estimate the impact of charter schools on early-life labor market outcomes using administrative data from Texas. We find that, at the mean, charter schools have no impact on test scores and a negative impact on earnings. No Excuses charter schools increase test scores and four-year college enrollment, but have a small and statistically insignificant impact on earnings, while other types of charter schools decrease test scores, four-year college enrollment, and earnings. Moving to school-level estimates, we find that charter schools that decrease test scores also tend to decrease earnings, while charter schools that increase test scores have no discernible impact on earnings. In contrast, high school graduation effects are predictive of earnings effects throughout the distribution of school quality. The paper concludes with a speculative discussion of what might explain our set of facts.

Suggested Citation

  • Will S. Dobbie & Roland G. Fryer, Jr, 2016. "Charter Schools and Labor Market Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 22502, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22502
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Stephen Machin & Matteo Sandi, 2020. "Autonomous Schools and Strategic Pupil Exclusion," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 130(625), pages 125-159.
    2. Naven, Matthew, 2019. "Human-Capital Formation During Childhood and Adolescence: Evidence from School Quality and Postsecondary Success in California," MPRA Paper 97716, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Diether W Beuermann & C Kirabo Jackson & Laia Navarro-Sola & Francisco Pardo, 2023. "What is a Good School, and Can Parents Tell? Evidence on the Multidimensionality of School Output," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(1), pages 65-101.
    4. Eyles, Andrew & Machin, Stephen & McNally, Sandra, 2017. "Unexpected school reform: Academisation of primary schools in England," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 108-121.
    5. Timothy Bond & Kevin Mumford, 2017. "Teacher Performance Pay in the United States: Incidence and Adult Outcomes," Purdue University Economics Working Papers 1289, Purdue University, Department of Economics.
    6. Corey A. DeAngelis & Patrick J. Wolf, 2019. "Will Democracy Endure Private School Choice? The Effect of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program on Adult Voting Behavior," Journal of Private Enterprise, The Association of Private Enterprise Education, vol. 34(Summer 20), pages 1-21.
    7. Matthew Davis & Blake Heller, 2019. "No Excuses Charter Schools and College Enrollment: New Evidence from a High School Network in Chicago," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 14(3), pages 414-440, Summer.
    8. Kate Place & Philip Gleason, "undated". "Do Charter Middle Schools Improve Students' College Outcomes? (Evaluation Brief)," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 0fb9df64f6ad4ebd91cb58378, Mathematica Policy Research.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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