The effects of the New Orleans post-Katrina market-based school reforms on student achievement, high school graduation, and college outcomes

Larsen, Matthew F.; Harris, D. N.

The effects of the New Orleans post-Katrina market-based school reforms on student achievement, high school graduation, and college outcomes

Abstract

The school reforms put in place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
represent the most intensive market-based school accountability system ever created in
the United States. Almost all public schools were taken over by the state, which turned
over management to autonomous non-profit charter management organizations working
under performance contracts; collective bargaining and tenure were ended, yielding
flexible human capital management; and traditional school attendance zones were
eliminated, expanding choice for families. More than a decade later, this study provides
the first examination of the effects of this package of reforms on students’ short-term and
long-term outcomes, using matched difference-in-differences. We find that the package
of reforms improved the quantity, quality, and equity of schooling in the city on almost
every available measure, increasing average test scores by 0.28-0.40 standard deviations,
high school graduation by 3-9 percentage points, college attendance by 8-15 percentage
points, college persistence by 4-7 percentage points, and college graduation by 3-5
percentage points. These effects translate to 10-67 percent increases over baseline levels.
The reforms also apparently reduced educational inequality by race and income on most
measures. Our estimation procedures address potential threats to identification, including,
for example, changes in the population. The reforms highlight the potential of market-based
school reforms, though we also identify reasons why effects of this large size and
range may not be expected in other locations and circumstances.

Title	The effects of the New Orleans post-Katrina market-based school reforms on student achievement, high school graduation, and college outcomes
Creator	Larsen, Matthew F.
Creator	Harris, D. N.
Publisher	Technical Report, Education Research Alliance for New Orleans
Academic Department	Economics
Division	Social Sciences
Organization	Lafayette College
Date Issued	July 15, 2018
Date Available	2018-11-29T20:47:29Z
Type	Report
Language	English
Bibliographic Citation	Harris, D. N. and M. F. Larsen (2018 July 15) "The effects of the New Orleans post-Katrina market-based school reforms on student achievement, high school graduation, and college outcomes." Technical Report, Education Research Alliance for New Orleans
Standard Identifier	Handle 10385/2467
Permalink	http://hdl.handle.net/10385/2467
Rights Statement	In Copyright