Selective enrollment high schools improve student experiences but do not change academic outcomes, on average, compared with high-performing non-selective schools¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Compared with attending a high-performing non-selective high school, students at selective enrollment high schools report feeling safer and having better relationships, but test scores, high school graduation, college enrollment, and college persistence are largely unaffected. → Allensworth 2016

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2016¶

Allensworth, E., Moore, P., Sartain, L., & de la Torre, M. (2017). The Educational Benefits of Attending Higher Performing Schools: Evidence From Chicago High Schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(2), 175–197. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications doi:10.3102/0162373716672039

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Summary of regression discontinuity comparisons of students just above and just below selective enrollment admission thresholds in CPS cohorts entering high school from 2010-2013. The summary reports that academic outcomes "are largely unaffected."

"Students report better experiences at selective enrollment high schools. They report feeling safer and having better relationships with peers and teachers. However . . . Students do not have different academic outcomes, on average. Test scores, high school graduation, college enrollment, and college persistence are largely unaffected."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Selective and top-tier schools improve students' nonacademic experiences, with peer classroom behavior showing the largest differences — related
• Selective enrollment students from low-income neighborhoods are less likely to attend selective colleges than similarly-performing low-income students who do not enroll — a narrower finding that bears on this claim