Arkansas Department of Education

About: Arkansas Department of Education is a government organization based out in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: School choice & Voucher. The organization has 37 authors who have published 112 publications receiving 1325 citations. The organization is also known as: ADE.

Answers to wh-questions: A developmental study.

Abstract: Forty children aged 3–6 years responded to items representing nine wh-question forms. Questions referred to three types of referential sources (conditions) based on immediacy and visual availabilit...

Understanding a Vicious Cycle: Do Out-of-School Suspensions Impact Student Test Scores?

Abstract: A vast body of research has proven the correlation between exclusionary discipline (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions) and student outcomes such as lower test scores, dropout, grade retention, and involvement in the juvenile justice system, but there is no consensus on the causal impacts of exclusionary discipline. This study uses six years of de-identified demographic, achievement, and disciplinary data from all K-12 public schools in Arkansas to estimate the causal relationship. We conduct dynamic panel data models incorporating student fixed effects using Anderson-Hsiao (1981) estimation. We find, counter-intuitively, a null to positive impact of out-of-school suspensions on test scores. Therefore, while policymakers may have other reasons to limit exclusionary discipline, we should not expect academic gains to follow.

The Impact of the Louisiana Scholarship Program on Racial Segregation in Louisiana Schools

Abstract: The question of how school choice programs affect the racial stratification of schools is highly salient in the field of education policy. We use a student-level panel data set to analyze the impacts of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) on racial segregation in public and private schools. This targeted school voucher program provides funding for low-income, mostly minority students in the lowest-graded public schools to enroll in participating private schools. Our analysis indicates that the vast majority (82%) of LSP transfers have reduced racial segregation in the voucher students’ former public schools. LSP transfers have marginally increased segregation in the participating private schools, however, where just 45% of transfers reduce racial segregation. In those school districts under federal desegregation orders, voucher transfers result in a large reduction in traditional public schools’ racial segregation levels and have no discernible impact on private schools. The results of this analysis provide reliable empirical evidence that parental choice actually has aided desegregation efforts in Louisiana.

Evaluating School Vouchers: Evidence from a Within-Study Comparison

Abstract: Background. Randomized Controlled Trials are the “gold-standard” for estimating causal impacts of education programs. They are not always feasible, however, and may not generalize to the population of interest. Generally, researchers cannot measure selection bias in quasi-experimental estimates, leaving us uncertain about the true program impact. Objective. This study assesses the performance of propensity score matching, kernel matching, and multivariate regression in replicating the experimental results of a District of Columbia school voucher evaluation. Research Design. We assess whether nonexperimental methods can replicate experimental results among two samples: the experimental sample, in which treated and nontreated students are similar in terms of their eligibility status and desire to apply for the program, and a broader nonexperimental sample that includes geographically similar comparison units who did not apply for the program. Results. Nonexperimental methods more closely replicate experimental estimates when the sample is limited to program applicants. Little evidence suggests that a particular nonexperimental method performs better than other approaches. The direction of the bias in the quasi-experimental estimates tends to be positive when the sample is limited to program applicants, but negative when expanded to non-applicants. This pattern suggests that voucher program applicants are negatively selected on unmeasured characteristics but voucher users are positively selected on unmeasured factors.

Does Retirement Induced through Social Security Pension Eligibility Influence Subjective Well-being? A Cross-Country Comparison

Abstract: How does retirement influence subjective well-being? Some studies suggest retirement does not affect subjective well-being or may improve it. Others suggest it adversely affects it. This paper aims at advancing our understanding of the effect of retirement on subjective well-being by (1) using longitudinal data to tease out the retirement effect from age and cohort differences; (2) using instrumental variables to address potential reverse causation of subjective well-being on retirement decisions; and (3) conducting cross-country analyses, exploiting differences in eligibility ages for retirement benefits across countries and within countries. We use panel data from the US Health and Retirement Study and the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. This allows us to use a quasi-experimental approach where variations in public pension eligibility due to country and cohort specific retirement ages help identify retirement effects. For both the U.S. and Europe we find that retirement is associated with higher levels of depression. However, when we use instrumental variables we find the opposite result. Retirement induced through Social Security pension eligibility is found to have a positive effect, reducing depression symptoms, although only marginally significant for the U.S. when considering the depression indicator. Retirement is not found to have a significant effect on life satisfaction measures for either the U.S. or Europe.