School District Reform in Newark: Within- and Between-School Changes in Achievement Growth

Mark J. Chin, Thomas J. Kane, Whitney Kozakowski, Beth E. Schueler and Doug Staiger

No 23922, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In 2011-12, Newark launched a set of educational reforms supported by a gift from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Using data from 2009 through 2016, we evaluate the change in Newark students’ achievement growth relative to similar students and schools elsewhere in New Jersey. We measure achievement growth using a “value-added” model, controlling for prior achievement, demographics and peer characteristics. By the fifth year of reform, Newark saw statistically significant gains in English and no significant change in math achievement growth. Perhaps due to the disruptive nature of the reforms, growth declined initially before rebounding in recent years. Aided by the closure of low value-added schools, much of the improvement was due to shifting enrollment from lower- to higher-growth district and charter schools. Shifting enrollment accounted for 62 percent of the improvement in English. In math, such shifts offset what would have been a decline in achievement growth.

JEL-codes: H41 H43 I21 I24 I28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
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Published as Mark Chin & Thomas J. Kane & Whitney Kozakowski & Beth E. Schueler & Douglas O. Staiger, 2019. "School District Reform in Newark: Within- and Between-School Changes in Achievement Growth," ILR Review, vol 72(2), pages 323-354.

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Journal Article: School District Reform in Newark: Within- and Between-School Changes in Achievement Growth (2019)
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