Selective and top-tier schools improve students' nonacademic experiences, with peer classroom behavior showing the largest differences¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2 · i0–i2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i2 Selective school students report better peer classroom behavior by greater than .5 of a standard deviation, and top-tier students by .18 standard deviations, versus counterfactual peers. → Allensworth 2017 q2 i0 Mid-tier school students report safer environments (by .09 SDs), but this effect is marginally significant and not robust to sensitivity analysis. → Allensworth 2017 (2)

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2017¶

Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P. T., 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. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716672039

q2 · i2 · associational · r2

Survey-based IPW analysis of ninth-grade CPS students (classroom behavior n = 55,696 selective; 51,100 top-tier). The printed effect sizes are "greater than .5 of a standard deviation" for selective schools and ".18 standard deviations" for top-tier schools; selective attendees also reported stronger teacher trust (.20 SDs) and academic press (.15 SDs).

"Students at selective schools report better classroom behavior among their peers than students in the comparison group by greater than .5 of a standard deviation. Students at top-tier schools also report better-behaving classroom peers than their counterfactual peers by .18 standard deviations."

Allensworth 2017 (2)¶

Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P. T., 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. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716672039

q2 · i0 · associational · r2

Survey-based IPW analysis of mid-tier versus bottom-tier attendees (safety n = 27,667). The printed effect size of ".09 SDs" for safety is below d = 0.2 and was marginally significant and, per the article, not robust to sensitivity analysis.

"The only difference in nonacademic outcomes for students who attend mid-tier schools is that they report that their school environments are safer (by .09 SDs)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Double-dose algebra policy increased academic demand for both high- and low-skill students, with below-norm students' gains not attributable to peer ability changes — related
• Selective enrollment high schools improve student experiences but do not change academic outcomes, on average, compared with high-performing non-selective schools — related
• Attending a selective exam-entry high school yields no significant academic benefits and lowers 11th-grade GPA relative to observationally similar peers elsewhere — related
• Top-tier nonselective schools improve college enrollment, persistence, and selectivity, while selective schools show no college advantage — related