https://9p7pzq3jbl.execute-api.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ProdStage Skip to main content
Publications
Advanced Search

View full metadata record

dc.titleDo Parents Know Best?: The Short and Long-Run Effects of Attending The Schools that Parents Prefer
dc.contributor.authorBeuermann, Diether
dc.contributor.authorJackson, C. Kirabo
dc.contributor.orgunitCountry Department Caribbean Group
dc.coverageBarbados
dc.coverageThe Caribbean
dc.date.available2018-08-24T00:00:00
dc.date.issue2018-08-20T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractRecent studies document that, in many cases, the schools that parents prefer over others do not improve student test scores. This could be because (a) parents cannot discern schools causal impacts, and/or (b) parents value schools that improve outcomes not well-measured by test scores. To shed light on this, we employ administrative and survey data from Barbados. Using discrete choice models, we document that most parents have strong preferences for the same schools. Using a regression-discontinuity design, we estimate the causal impact of attending a preferred school on a broad array of outcomes. As found in other settings, more preferred schools have better peers, but do not improve short-run test scores. However, for females, these schools confer long-run benefits including reduced teen pregnancy, more educational attainment, increased employment, higher earnings, and improved health. In contrast, for males, the effects are mixed. The pattern for females is consistent with parents valuing school impacts on outcomes not well-measured by test scores, while the pattern for males is consistent with parents being unable to identify schools’ causal impacts.
dc.format.extent66
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0001289
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Do-Parents-Know-Best-The-Short-and-Long-Run-Effects-of-Attending-The-Schools-that-Parents-Prefer.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.mediumAdobe PDF
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectSchool Attendance
dc.subjectEducational Attainment
dc.subjectSchool Choice
dc.subject.jelcodeI20 - Education and Research Institutions: General
dc.subject.jelcodeJ0 - Labor and Demographic Economics: General
dc.subject.keywordsBarbados;Peer Quality;School Preferences
idb.identifier.pubnumberWorking Papers
idb.operationBA-P1110
Return to Publication