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Self-Selection and Student Achievement

Author

Listed:
  • Honggao Cao

    (Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan)

Abstract

Students in any schools are not a random collection from the population. They become schoolmates because of their parents' selections of school quality that are contingent on their genetic abilities and family background. Even specified correctly, the conventional educational production functions cannot be used to find the effects of school inputs or quality. Therefore, the weak or zero relationship between school inputs and student achievement widely documented in the literature by no means implies that school inputs or quality does not matter. Further, since students enter schools by self-selection, any observed differences in student achievement between public and private schools do not necessarily mean that these schools have any differences in the effectiveness of operation.

Suggested Citation

  • Honggao Cao, 2005. "Self-Selection and Student Achievement," HEW 0501003, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwphe:0501003
    Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 24
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    File URL: https://econwpa.ub.uni-muenchen.de/econ-wp/hew/papers/0501/0501003.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Willis, Robert J & Rosen, Sherwin, 1979. "Education and Self-Selection," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(5), pages 7-36, October.
    2. George E. Johnson & Frank P. Stafford, 1973. "Social Returns to Quantity and Quality of Schooling," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 8(2), pages 139-155.
    3. Henry M. Levin, 1974. "Measuring Efficiency in Educational Production," Public Finance Review, , vol. 2(1), pages 3-24, January.
    4. James Heckman & Anne Layne-Farrar & Petra Todd, 1995. "Does Measured School Quality Really Matter? An Examination of the Earnings-Quality Relationship," NBER Working Papers 5274, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Card, David & Krueger, Alan B, 1992. "Does School Quality Matter? Returns to Education and the Characteristics of Public Schools in the United States," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(1), pages 1-40, February.
    6. Hanushek, Eric A, 1986. "The Economics of Schooling: Production and Efficiency in Public Schools," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 1141-1177, September.
    7. Betts, Julian R, 1995. "Does School Quality Matter? Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(2), pages 231-250, May.
    8. Brown, Byron W & Saks, Daniel H, 1975. "The Production and Distribution of Cognitive Skills within Schools," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 83(3), pages 571-593, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Self-selection; school quality; educational production function; student achievement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I - Health, Education, and Welfare

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