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Hidden drop-out: Secondary education (unseen) failure in pandemic times

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  • Alderighi, Lorenzo
  • Ballatore, Rosario M.
  • Tonello, Marco

Abstract

We estimate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hidden drop-out, a new measure indicating failure in achieving the minimum level of skills considered to be adequate for a student getting the high school diploma. We exploit the exogenous variation induced by the pandemic by comparing two cohorts of students (one affected and the other unaffected), within the same school. We find that hidden drop-out increases by 8.6 percentage points; the effect is stronger for students with lower levels of prior achievement, from poorer families, but also for those emotionally disrupted during assessments, and for those disclosing lower educational aspirations.

Suggested Citation

  • Alderighi, Lorenzo & Ballatore, Rosario M. & Tonello, Marco, 2023. "Hidden drop-out: Secondary education (unseen) failure in pandemic times," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1293, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1293
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    hidden drop-out; secondary education; school failure; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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