Buy the Book? Evidence on the Effect of Textbook Funding on School-Level Achievement

Kristian L. Holden

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2016, vol. 8, issue 4, 100-127

Abstract: This paper considers the effect of textbook funding on school-level test performance by using a quasi-experimental setting in the United States. I consider a lawsuit in California that provided a one-time payment of $96.90 per student for textbooks if schools fell below a threshold of academic performance. Exploiting this variation with a regression discontinuity (RD) design, I find that textbook funding has significant positive effects on school-level achievement in elementary schools and has a high benefit-per-dollar. In contrast to elementary schools, I find no effect in middle and high schools though these estimates are very imprecise.

JEL-codes: H75 I21 I22 I24 I28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20150112
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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