Research
Our research
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The Effects of Grade Retention in Indiana Schools
Analysis of the impacts of the threat of grade retention and retention itself in Indiana public schools.
Air Pollution and Learning
A policy brief highlighting new findings on the negative effects of air pollution on school learning and the discrepancy in who bears the brunt of the effects.
Massachusetts School Enrollment Dashboard
This interactive dashboard examines the gap between the predicted and actual enrollment in Massachusetts public, private, charter, and home schools.
Special Education Substantially Improves Learning: Evidence from Three States
Special education serves more than one in seven U.S. students, yet its causal impact remains understudied. In this paper, we estimate the effect of individualized supports with an event-study design that tracks achievement around initial classification. The research shows students’ scores decline prior to placement and rise sharply afterward. Overall, individualized supports substantially increase learning productivity.
Early Returns: Reversing Enrollment Declines in Massachusetts Community Colleges through MassReconnect
Analysis of Massachusetts MassReconnect free community college program. Evaluates enrollment impact, student demographics, financial aid distribution, and persistence rates for free tuition initiative targeting adults 25+. Policy brief for states considering free college programs.
Declining Community College Enrollment & Labor Market Strength
Declining U.S. college enrollments have triggered questions about the health of the postsecondary sector. This project examines national data collected through the Department of Education's Institute for Education Sciences to better understand shifts in the sector and help situate trends within the context of broader economic and labor market context.
School Enrollment Shifts Five Years After the Pandemic
This research documents the changes in public school enrollment in one state and highlights shifts that may have broader implications for American schools.
English Learners’ Access to Massachusetts Early College Programs
The authors of this study examined the extent to which English learners are participating in Massachusetts Early College programs.
Reclassifying English Learners
The authors of this study use data from Indiana to examine the causal effects of English learner reclassification on later student outcomes, including test scores and attendance rates.
Who Benefits from Remote Schooling?
To avoid pandemic-induced teacher shortages, Massachusetts implemented an emergency license, removing most traditional licensure requirements for individuals who wanted to become teachers. This study reports on the first cohort of teachers employed on the license.
Deconstructing the EL Gap
Across U.S. schools, students classified as English learners (ELs) tend to achieve lower educational outcomes than their non-EL peers. What explains these differences? Are they a product of ELs’ developing English language proficiency and/or the services they receive at school, or do other factors play a role? The authors of this study attempt to deconstruct the “EL gap” in Massachusetts by examining the extent to which differences in outcomes between ELs and non-ELs can be attributed to factors that are unrelated to a student’s English proficiency or receipt of EL services.
The Stickiness of Pandemic-Driven Disenrollment from Public Schools
Using data from Michigan and nationally representative data, authors show how the pandemic affected families’ choices of school sector.
The Effect of Retention Under Mississippi’s Test-Based Promotion Policy
Study conducted by Boston University's Wheelock Educational Policy Center evaluating the impact of Mississippi’s test-based promotion policy - requiring students to demonstrate reading proficiency before moving on to the third grade. Results suggest positive results, particularly strong in reading, into the 6th grade for those who were retained.
Enrollment Flexibility and Charter School Impacts: The Effect of Backfill on Students in Massachusetts Charter Middle Schools
This study leverages Massachusetts’s adoption of a statewide requirement for charter schools to backfill vacancies within some grades to provide the first causal estimates for the effect of incorporating new students on the performance of incumbent charter school pupils. Using data from the universe of Massachusetts public school students enrolled in Grades 5 through 8 from 2007-2008 to 2013-2014, this study compares changes in student achievement in impacted vs. not-impacted grades within Boston charter schools to the patterns of student achievement within traditional public schools and charter schools outside of Boston.
Ability Signals and Rigorous Coursework: Evidence from AP Calculus Participation
The study examines how one signal of ability—whether a student achieves “Advanced” status on Massachusetts’ 10th grade statewide standardized assessment—effects subsequent enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus courses. Short answer: it does, but not equally.
The Pandemic’s Effect on Demand for Public Schools, Homeschooling, and Private Schools
Using data from Michigan and nationally representative data, authors show how the pandemic affected families’ choices of school sector.
The School to Prison Pipeline: Long-Run Impacts of School Suspensions on Adult Crime
Researchers analyzed the impact of school discipline on student achievement, educational attainment and future involvement with the criminal justice system.
Inequality in Household Adaptation to Schooling Shocks: COVID-19 Induced Online Learning Engagement in Real Time
Researchers analyzed internet search trends on school and parent-centered instructional resources during the pandemic.