Too young to quit school? Increasing the compulsory schooling leaving age and students’ educational paths

Afonso Câmara ()
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Afonso Câmara: AMSE - Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, AMU - Aix Marseille Université

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Abstract: I study how a significant increase in the compulsory schooling leaving age, from 15 to 18 years old, can contribute to reducing early school leaving and changing students' educational paths. I analyse the Portuguese reform of 2009, exploiting the fact that grade retention in the 7th grade in this year provides quasi-experimental variation in exposure to the new policy. While effects for the overall student population are small or null, lower-achieving students significantly increase their schooling duration. Additionally, some sub-groups of lower-achieving students, particularly boys and those enrolling in upper-secondary school, increased their graduation probabilities. At the same time, I do not find that school quality decreased. These findings carry implications for research using compulsory schooling reforms as instruments for education, and inform policies aimed at supporting at-risk students.

Keywords: Compulsory schooling age; school dropout; early school leaving; differencein- differences; grade retention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-12
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04829754v1
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