Test-Mex: Estimating the effects of school year length on student performance in Mexico

Estimating the impact of changing school inputs on student performance is often difficult because these inputs are endogenously determined. We investigate a quasi-experiment that altered the number of instructional days prior to a nationwide test in Mexico. Our exogenous source of variation comes fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of development economics 2013-07, Vol.103, p.353-361
Main Authors: Agüero, Jorge M., Beleche, Trinidad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement gaps
Education policy
Educational evaluation
Estimation
Latin America
Mexico
School year length
Schools
Social policy
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic status
Standardized tests
Student achievement
Students
Studies
Teaching
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Summary:Estimating the impact of changing school inputs on student performance is often difficult because these inputs are endogenously determined. We investigate a quasi-experiment that altered the number of instructional days prior to a nationwide test in Mexico. Our exogenous source of variation comes from across states and over time changes in the date when the school year started and the date when the test was administered. We find that having more days of instruction prior to examination slightly improves student performance but exhibits diminishing marginal returns. The effects vary along the distribution of resources as determined by a poverty index, with lower improvements in poorer schools. These findings imply a weaker net benefit of policies expanding the length of the school year as they could widen the achievement gap by socioeconomic status.
ISSN:0304-3878
1872-6089
DOI:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.03.008