Switching Schools

D isruption versus Tiebout improvement : the costs and benefits of switching schools

Most students change schools at some point in their academic careers, but some change very frequently and some schools experience a great deal of turnover. While many argue that mobility harms students, economists tend to emphasize Tiebout type moves to procure better school quality (SQ). This paper disentangles the disruption effects of moves from changes in SQ. Importantly, it identifies the ...

“Switching Schools: Reconsidering the Relationship Between School Mobility and Dropout” Joseph Gasper Westat

Youth who switch schools are more likely to demonstrate a wide array of negative behavioral and educational outcomes, including dropping out of high school. However, whether switching schools actually puts youth at risk for dropout is uncertain, since youth who switch schools are similar to dropouts in their levels of prior school achievement and engagement, which suggests that switching school...

Switching to Better Schools: A Model of Class Size and Mover Endogeneity (Job Market Paper)

In modeling the effect of smaller classes on student achievement, a significant challenge that has not been adequately addressed by the current literature is how to deal with the endogeneity caused by students who switch from one school to another. These students account for a significant portion of the population; almost 33 percent of students in Texas change schools between grades 3 and 6, ex...

Should medical schools be schools for virtue?

I n the Republic , Plato recounts the myth of Gyges, who wore a ring that allowed him to become invisible simply by turning the ring around his finger. 1 Gyges misused the ring’s powers to seduce the wife of the king, kill him, and take over the country. The lesson that Plato drew from this myth was that the person of true virtue is the one who can be trusted to do the right thing, even when no...

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