Youth who share a school and neighborhood often show similar levels of academic achievement, but some studies find all or most of this correlation is due to sorting (not causation). We analyze the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) in three ways to decompose sorting versus causality: We first control for much richer measures of family…

Explores existing research (based on the High School and Beyond study) to determine whether student achievement differences between public and private schools are significant enough to be relevant to policymakers considering choice proposals. Results are inconclusive. Similarly structured research efforts will probably never answer this question…

Uses 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study data to explore whether public-private high school choice would help improve students' overall achievement. Applies estimated sectoral achievement differentials to a structural school choice model to determine if parents choose schools that academically benefit their children. Private schools do not…