Highlighted Publications




 

Yim (2026) asks whether being assigned to early morning college classes changes students’ academic outcomes and long-term academic paths. He analyzes administrative data from Purdue University covering several thousand freshman course enrollments after the university introduced a system that effectively randomized class times across course sections. The study links course schedules to grades, later STEM course enrollment, major choice, and expected earnings by major. Yim find

Hensvik and Jävervall (2024) ask whether increased school competition reduces parental “voice,” measured through formal complaints about schools. They analyze administrative complaint data from Sweden’s national education authorities and link it to changes in local school competition following the expansion of independent schools under the voucher system. They find that greater competition is associated with fewer parental complaints to regulators. A one–standard deviation in

Shakya (2026) asks whether participation in a pre-collegiate summer bridge program improves early college outcomes for economically disadvantaged and first-generation students. He analyzes student-level administrative data from a large U.S. public land-grant university, focusing on applicants to the Bridge Scholars Program between 2016 and 2022. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design based on a $16,000 Expected Family Contribution eligibility cutoff, he estimates causa

Crespin (2025) examines whether publicly releasing school social climate ratings affects housing prices and the socioeconomic sorting of homebuyers. He studies a plausibly exogenous information shock in Chicago in 2011, when school climate reports were first made public. He links parcel-level housing transaction data from Zillow (ZTRAX) with homebuyer income data from HMDA and school administrative records. He finds that homes zoned to the highest-rated schools saw price incr

Lawson and Sass (2026) study how teachers’ effectiveness changed when schools shifted from in-person to remote instruction. They ask whether the move to online learning altered relative teacher performance and which teacher traits predicted success. They analyze matched student–teacher administrative data from three large metro-Atlanta districts, using fall-to-winter math and reading test score growth for grades K–8. They find that variation in teacher effectiveness increased

Landon and Pope (2026) study whether changing how schools schedule instructional time—specifically longer school days paired with fewer school days—affects student achievement and teacher turnover  . They ask whether reallocating the same total annual instructional hours alters productivity. Using administrative data from over 2 million Los Angeles Unified School District students (2002–2012) and policy-driven calendar changes, they estimate causal effects. They find minimal

Blazar et al. (2026) examine whether access to Maryland’s Teacher Academy (TAM) increases entry into teaching. They ask if a high school “grow-your-own” pathway affects students’ later education, careers, and earnings. They use statewide administrative data linking K–12 records, college enrollment and degrees, teacher employment, and unemployment insurance wages. They find that TAM exposure increased the probability of becoming a teacher by 0.6 percentage points, a 45% rise o

Wright, Arora, and Wright (2025) examine whether a non-binding commitment pledge combined with goal setting affects student achievement  . They ask if having students state a target grade, identify study actions, and sign a pledge improves academic performance. The study uses a randomized field experiment in four Principles of Macroeconomics sections at a public university, analyzing survey responses and official course records. Although treated students pledged higher grades

Christakis et al. (2026) examine whether adult attitudes—especially parental attitudes—support banning student smartphone access during the school day. They ask whether support for school smartphone bans is widespread across countries and which individual characteristics predict that support. They analyze cross-sectional survey data from 35,018 adults across 35 countries, using logistic regression to adjust for demographics, parental status, life satisfaction, and digital beh

Baker, Halberstam, Kroft, Mas, and Messacar (2025) ask whether faculty unionization changes the distribution of wages in Canadian higher education. They analyze longitudinal administrative salary data from 1970–2022 and link it to the staggered rollout of faculty unions. They find that unionization raises wages at the bottom of the distribution by roughly 10 percent while leaving top salaries unchanged, compressing inequality. On average, salaries rise about 2 percent in the

Dupas et al. (2025) examine whether men and women are treated differently when presenting research in economics seminars. They ask whether presenter gender affects how often and how negatively audience members interrupt speakers. They analyze detailed data on thousands of seminars, job talks, and conference presentations, combining human-coded observations with machine learning analysis of audio recordings. The authors find that women receive about 10–20 percent more interrup

Evans and Christensen (2025) ask whether banning legacy preferences in college admissions changes the racial and socioeconomic composition of enrolled students, and why effects differ across institutions. They analyze policy documents and enrollment data from seven case studies where legacy preferences were eliminated, including public systems and selective private colleges. Using before-and-after comparisons and difference-in-differences style estimates, they find mixed resu

Zhong (2024) asks whether third-grade test-based retention improves or harms students’ long-term outcomes. He examines administrative data from Texas public schools linked to college enrollment records and state earnings data, following students from third grade into their mid-20s. Using a regression discontinuity design around the reading test promotion cutoff, he finds that retention briefly raises test scores but increases absenteeism, violent behavior, and juvenile crime.

Cohodes and Pineda (2025) ask whether attending Massachusetts charter schools affects students’ college preparation, enrollment, and degree completion, and whether these effects differ between urban and nonurban schools. They analyze randomized admission lottery data from Massachusetts charter schools between 2002 and 2014, linked to state education records and National Student Clearinghouse college data. They find that urban charter schools substantially increase test scores

Bowden, Rodriguez, and Weingarten (2025) examine whether relaxing high-school grading standards reduces student effort and learning. They use statewide administrative data from North Carolina (2013–2019), linking exact birthdates, course grades, absences, and ACT scores. They find that the shift to a more lenient 10-point scale mechanically raised GPAs by about 0.13 points (roughly 4.8%) but caused meaningful declines in effort: absences rose 22% (about 1.3 days) and numeric

Crema (2025) investigates whether charter school openings increase racial segregation within traditional public school classrooms. She analyzes North Carolina administrative data covering 97 charter openings from 1997–2015, along with classroom-level records showing the racial composition of students in grades 1–5. She finds that segregation in nearby public schools rises as soon as a charter opening is announced, before any students transfer. Classroom segregation increases

The study asks whether providing free universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children in disadvantaged Arab communities in Israel improves long-term educational and social outcomes. Using administrative data that follow nearly 85,000 children from early childhood through young adulthood, the authors analyze test scores, high school completion, college enrollment, juvenile crime, and early marriage. They find substantial gains: high school graduation rises by 2.8 percentage

The study asks whether intensive college advising helps low-income students earn bachelor’s degrees and why it works. The authors use data from a multisite randomized controlled trial, baseline surveys, advisor–student interaction records, and National Student Clearinghouse enrollment data. They find that advising increases four-year college enrollment by about 9 percentage points and raises bachelor’s degree completion by 7.6 percentage points within five years—about a 16 pe

This study asks whether giving teachers detailed maps of their students’ classroom social networks can reduce social isolation and antisocial behavior. Using data from an RCT in 46 Italian primary schools, the researchers analyzed friendship nominations, incentivized games measuring sabotage and cooperation, and surveys on student well-being. The intervention reduced the share of children reporting no classroom friends by 1.5 percentage points (a 50% relative decrease) and cu

The study asks whether having more classmates whose parents hold advanced degrees increases a student’s chances of entering highly selective university programs. Using Norwegian administrative data that follow students from middle school through early adulthood, the authors link each student to detailed records on peers, parents, grades, university enrollment, and earnings. They find that a one–standard deviation increase in exposure to such peers raises selective-degree enro