Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/247188 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 919
Publisher: 
Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance, London
Abstract: 
Expanding parental choice in education may increase system-wide productivity if parents select schools that form a specifically good match with their children. I investigate the effect of attending a preferred school on student achievement in London primary schools. I exploit as good as random variation in admission to preferred schools arising from centralised assignment which awards school offer based on admission priority, residential distance, and parental preference. I compare students around year-specific catchment boundaries that cannot be exactly anticipated by parents. I find that attending the school of choice increases student achievement compared to an institution with lower parental preference but same value-added. Results suggest that parents select schools that are specifically effective in increasing their children's achievement, improving the efficiency of school seats allocation. I show that parents of low-ability males select schools with lower peer quality and these likely better suit their learning needs.
Subjects: 
School choice
School effectiveness
Centralised assignment
Deferred acceptance
JEL: 
H75
I21
I24
I28
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
893.1 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.