The Attraction of Magnet Schools: Evidence from Embedded Lotteries in School Assignment. Program on Education Policy and Governance Conference Papers Series. PEPG 25-15
Saved in:
| Title: | The Attraction of Magnet Schools: Evidence from Embedded Lotteries in School Assignment. Program on Education Policy and Governance Conference Papers Series. PEPG 25-15 |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Umut Dur, Robert G. Hammond, Matthew A. Lenard, Melinda Morrill, Thayer Morrill, Colleen Paeplow, Harvard University, Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) |
| Source: | Program on Education Policy and Governance. 2025. |
| Availability: | Program on Education Policy and Governance. Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Taubman 304, Cambridge, MA 02138. Tel: 617-495-7976; Fax: 617-496-4428; e-mail: pepg@fas.harvard.edu; Web site: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/taubman/programs-research/pepg |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 59 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Speeches/Meeting Papers Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education |
| Descriptors: | Magnet Schools, Program Effectiveness, Selective Admission, Learner Engagement, Attendance, Academic Achievement, Academic Persistence, Student Mobility, School Choice, Racial Composition, Socioeconomic Status, Institutional Characteristics, Student Characteristics, Teacher Characteristics, Elementary School Students |
| Geographic Terms: | North Carolina |
| Abstract: | Magnet schools provide innovative curricula designed to attract students from other schools within a school district, typically with the joint goals of diversifying enrollment and boosting achievement. Measuring the impact of attending a magnet school is challenging because students choose to apply and schools have priorities over types of students. Moreover, magnet schools may influence non-cognitive skill formation that is not well-reflected in test scores. This study estimates the causal impact of attending a magnet school on student outcomes by leveraging exogenous variation arising from tie breakers embedded in a centralized school assignment mechanism. Using a rich set of administrative data from a large school district, we find robust evidence that attending a magnet school significantly increases student engagement, as measured through absenteeism and on-time progress rates. Students are significantly less likely to change schools when attending a magnet. We find suggestive evidence that attending a magnet school led to higher performance in mathematics and that attending non-language immersion magnet schools increased students' reading scores. Together, these results suggest that magnet schools--a typically understudied school choice option--can benefit student learning and increase student engagement while enabling the system to achieve its goals of promoting racial and socioeconomic balance through school choice. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED673405 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Magnet schools provide innovative curricula designed to attract students from other schools within a school district, typically with the joint goals of diversifying enrollment and boosting achievement. Measuring the impact of attending a magnet school is challenging because students choose to apply and schools have priorities over types of students. Moreover, magnet schools may influence non-cognitive skill formation that is not well-reflected in test scores. This study estimates the causal impact of attending a magnet school on student outcomes by leveraging exogenous variation arising from tie breakers embedded in a centralized school assignment mechanism. Using a rich set of administrative data from a large school district, we find robust evidence that attending a magnet school significantly increases student engagement, as measured through absenteeism and on-time progress rates. Students are significantly less likely to change schools when attending a magnet. We find suggestive evidence that attending a magnet school led to higher performance in mathematics and that attending non-language immersion magnet schools increased students' reading scores. Together, these results suggest that magnet schools--a typically understudied school choice option--can benefit student learning and increase student engagement while enabling the system to achieve its goals of promoting racial and socioeconomic balance through school choice. |
|---|
