| Session Title: Shifting the Bell Curve: The Benefits and Costs of Raising Student Achievement |
| Expert Lecture Session 504 to be held in Liberty Ballroom Section A on Friday, November 9, 9:25 AM to 10:10 AM |
| Sponsored by the Costs, Effectiveness, Benefits, and Economics TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Brian Yates, American University, brian.yates@mac.com |
| Presenter(s): |
| Stuart Yeh, University of Minnesota, yehxx008@umn.edu |
| Abstract: Benefit-cost analysis was conducted to estimate the increase in earnings, increased tax revenues, value of less crime, and reductions in welfare costs attributable to nationwide implementation of rapid assessment, a promising intervention for raising student achievement in math and reading. Results suggest that social benefits would exceed costs by a ratio of 3157. Fiscal benefits to the federal government would exceed costs by a ratio of 738. Fiscal benefits for all but two state governments would exceed costs by a ratio of 88. Sensitivity analyses suggest that the findings are robust to an 88-fold change in the underlying parameters, despite numerous conservative assumptions. |