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Does Achievement Rise Fastest with School Choice, School Resources, or Family Resources? Chile from 2002 to 2013
Alvaro Hofflinger1, Paul T von Hippel2
1Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
Sociology of Education
|May 13, 2024
Summary
Student achievement in Chile improved due to increased family resources, particularly parental education, and to a lesser extent, school resources like smaller class sizes. School competition did not significantly impact test scores.
Area of Science:
- Education Policy
- Educational Economics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Education policy debates often center on theories of student achievement.
- Key theories include school competition, school resources, and family resources.
- Chile experienced rising test scores between 2002 and 2013 amidst improvements in these areas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically test the relative impact of school competition, school resources, and family resources on student achievement.
- To determine which theoretical framework best explains educational gains in Chile during a specific period.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a difference-in-differences analysis comparing Chilean municipalities.
- Examined changes in reading and math scores in relation to changes in school competition, school resources (class size), and family resources (parental education and income).
Main Results:
- Student test scores did not correlate with increased school competition.
- Significant positive associations were found between higher test scores and increased family resources, specifically parental education.
- A smaller, positive association was observed between test scores and school resources, measured by class size.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the family resource theory as a primary driver of student achievement gains.
- The school resource theory also shows a positive, albeit lesser, effect.
- The school competition theory was not supported by the data in this context.
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