Description:

"School Accountability and Family Sorting" by David Figlio, Orrington Lunt Professor of Education & Social Policy and Economics, and IPR Associate Director and Fellow

Abstract: Using U.S. Census microdata, Figlio and his colleagues investigate whether school accountability systems affect families’ decisions about school choice and about where they reside. Exploiting time differences in the introduction of a state-level school accountability system, the researchers find evidence for school accountability systems increasing the likelihood that families will enroll their children in private schools. The researchers also show that accountability systems influence where new residents to a metropolitan area choose to reside. The results are particularly pronounced in those states with low assessment standards, where large fractions of students—and therefore schools—pass the accountability standards. The results differ by family type.