Many Children Left Behind? Textbooks and Test Scores in Kenya

Sylvie Moulin, Michael Kremer and Paul Glewwe

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2009, vol. 1, issue 1, 112-35

Abstract: A randomized evaluation in rural Kenya finds, contrary to the previous literature, that providing textbooks did not raise average test scores. Textbooks did increase the scores of the best students (those with high pretest scores) but had little effect on other students. Textbooks are written in English, most students' third language, and many students could not use them effectively. More generally, the curriculum in Kenya, and in many other developing countries, tends to be oriented toward academically strong students, leaving many students behind in societies that combine a centralized educational system; the heterogeneity in student preparation associated with rapid educational expansion; and disproportionate elite power. (JEL O15, I21, I28, J13)

JEL-codes: I21 I28 J13 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.1.1.112
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (173)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Many Children Left Behind? Textbooks and Test Scores in Kenya (2007)
Working Paper: Many Children Left Behind? Textbooks and Test Scores in Kenya (2007)
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