Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences- in-Differences Evidence Across Countries

Eric Hanushek () and Ludger Wössmann
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Ludger Woessmann ()

Economic Journal, 2006, vol. 116, issue 510, pages C63-C76

Abstract: Even though some countries track students into differing-ability schools by age 10, others keep their entire secondary-school system comprehensive. To estimate the effects of such institutional differences in the face of country heterogeneity, we employ an international differences-in-differences approach. We identify tracking effects by comparing differences in outcome between primary and secondary school across tracked and non-tracked systems. Six international student assessments provide eight pairs of achievement contrasts for between 18 and 26 cross-country comparisons. The results suggest that early tracking increases educational inequality. While less clear, there is also a tendency for early tracking to reduce mean performance. Copyright 2006 Royal Economic Society.

Date: 2006
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Working Paper: Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences-in-Differences Evidence across Countries (2005)
Working Paper: Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences-in-Differences Evidence across Countries (2005)
Working Paper: Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences-in-Differences Evidence across Countries (2005)
Working Paper: Does Educational Tracking Affect Performance and Inequality? Differences-in-Differences Evidence across Countries (2005)
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