Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/319893 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 25-023
Publisher: 
ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, Mannheim
Abstract: 
Educational tracking-separating students into tracks or schools by ability-is commonplace, but access and preferences for top programs often depend on socioeconomic status (SES), reinforcing inequality. We study shadow education in the context of an early-tracking system, exploiting score cut-offs using a pseudo-regression discontinuity design to isolate the causal effect on parental investments. We find that assignment to the highest track disproportionately increases private tutoring among families in the lowest tercile of SES. This suggests tracking activates a behavioral response among disadvantaged households, which may amplify between-track achievement gaps.
Subjects: 
education
school choice
tracking
shadow education
private tutoring
student achievement
inequality of opportunity
JEL: 
I21
I24
I28
E47
C26
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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