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School Choice and its Impacts on Student Well-being and Academic Achievement in Post-Katrina New Orleans
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| Presenter(s):
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| Paul Hutchinson, Tulane University, phutchin@tulane.edu
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| Lisanne Brown, Louisiana Public Health Institute, lbrown@lphi.org
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| Nathalie Ferrell, Tulane University, natferrell@gmail.com
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| Marsha Broussard, Louisiana Public Health Institute, mbroussard@lphi.org
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| Sarah Kohler, Louisiana Public Health Institute, skohler@lphi.org
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| Abstract:
The New Orleans school system post-Katrina has followed the national trend of adopting "school choice" policy, permitting students to apply to any Orleans Parish public school. While many students attend their closest public school, others travel out of neighborhood in hopes of better learning educational opportunities. This study examines data from the 2009 School Health Connection Survey, which focused on experiences with violence, drug and alcohol use, sexual behaviors, and scholastic achievement. We estimate the effects of school choice on academic performance and student mental well-being, controlling for potential confounding from non-random school choice, i.e. students opting to bypass their closest school may differ in important unmeasurable characteristics (e.g. motivation, supportive environments) that may bias estimates of school choice impacts. The results show that “traveling” students perform better scholastically and are less prone to fears about their safety or to feelings of suicide than students attending their “home neighborhood” school.
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National Evaluation of Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Middle Schools: Impacts on Student Achievement
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| Presenter(s):
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| Brian Gill, Mathematica Policy Research, bgill@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Philip Gleason, Mathematica Policy Research, pgleason@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Ira Nichols-Barrer, Mathematica Policy Research, inichols-barrer@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Bing-ru Teh, Mathematica Policy Research, bteh@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Bing-ru Teh, Mathematica Policy Research, bteh@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Christina Tuttle, Mathematica Policy Research, ctuttle@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Abstract:
What is the effect of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) network of charter schools on student achievement? In this study, the first rigorous evaluation of a national sample of KIPP middle schools, we employ two analytic methods to address this question. First, we perform ordinary least squares regressions on students in districts in which the KIPP schools are located, controlling for prior test scores and demographic characteristics. Second, we use propensity score matching techniques to identify a particular comparison group of non-KIPP students within those districts to compare to the sample of students who attended KIPP. Incorporating up to seven years of longitudinal state assessment data, we estimate the effect of 20 different KIPP schools on reading and math scores one, two, three, and four years after students first attended KIPP.
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Lottery-based Estimates of Charter School Impacts and Factors Related to Impacts
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| Presenter(s):
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| Christina Clark Tuttle, Mathematica Policy Research, ctuttle@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Philip Gleason, Mathematica Policy Research, pgleason@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Melissa Clark, Mathematica Policy Research, mclark@mathematica-mpr.com
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| Abstract:
In this study, conducted in 36 charter middle schools across 15 states, we compare outcomes of students who applied and were admitted to these schools through randomized admissions lotteries with the outcomes of students who also applied to these schools and participated in the lotteries but were not admitted. This analytic approach produces the most reliable impact estimates. But because the study could only include charter middle schools that held lotteries, the results do not necessarily apply to the full set of charter schools in the United States. Key findings from the evaluation include (1) the impact of charter schools on student achievement and behavior and student and parent satisfaction; (2) the variation in those impacts across schools, and (3) factors related to impacts.
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The Art and Science of Picking Comparison Schools
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| Presenter(s):
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| Agata Jose-Ivanina, ICF Macro, agata.jose-ivanina@macrointernational.com
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| Helene Jennings, ICF Macro, helene.p.jennings@macrointernational.com
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| Abstract:
In quasi-experimental studies of educational interventions, one of the greatest challenges facing evaluators is the selection of a closely matched comparison group. Evaluators often have to balance the utilization of rigorous selection methodologies with additional available information and feedback from clients and school-based personnel about other factors to take into consideration. In this paper, we discuss our experience selecting comparison schools for a study of charter schools for the Maryland State Department of Education. To identify comparison schools, we first used the quantitative needs statistic method used by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). After obtaining a number of possible matches, we made an informed choice that took into account other relevant contextual factors. As a result, we were able to develop a methodology that was part science in that it was based on a rigorous and consistent approach and part art in that it reflected school environment.
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