The surprising effect of larger class sizes: Evidence using two identification strategies

Kevin Denny and Veruska Oppedisano ()

Labour Economics, 2013, vol. 23, issue C, 57-65

Abstract: This paper estimates the marginal effect of class size on educational attainment of high school students. We control for the potential endogeneity of class size in two ways using a conventional instrumental variable approach, based on changes in cohort size, and an alternative method where identification is based on restrictions on higher moments. The data is drawn from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) collected in 2003 for the United States and the United Kingdom. Using either method or the two in conjunction leads to the conclusion that increases in class size lead to improvements in student's mathematics scores. Only the results for the United Kingdom are statistically significant.

Keywords: Class sizes; Educational production; Endogeneity; Instrumental variables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C26 I21 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (45)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:23:y:2013:i:c:p:57-65

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2013.04.004

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