Does Investing in School Capital Infrastructure Improve Student Achievement?
38 Pages Posted: 11 Oct 2015 Last revised: 10 Feb 2017
Date Written: March 16, 2016
Abstract
Within the research community, there is a vigorous debate over whether additional educational expenditures will lead to improved performance of schools. Some of the debate is an outgrowth of the lack of causal knowledge of the impacts of expenditures on student outcomes. To help fill this void, we examine the causal impact of capital expenditures on school district proficiency rates in Michigan. For the analysis, we employ a regression discontinuity design where we use the outcomes of bond elections as the forcing variable. Our results provide some evidence that capital expenditures can have positive effects on student proficiency levels.
Keywords: Economics of Education, Capital Expenditure, Regression Discontinuity Design
JEL Classification: I22
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation