Research

In Preparation
Robles S, Gross M, Fairlie R, Barrios T. [Job Market Paper] THE EFFECT OF COURSE SHUTOUTS ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS: EVIDENCE FROM WAITLIST CUTOFFS. In Preparation.Abstract

Community colleges serve over half of undergraduates in California, while being funded at less than half of the per-student rate of the more selective University of California system. The impact of funding disparities in higher education on student success is unclear, particularly the mechanisms through which such resource effects could operate. This paper measures the effect of course shutouts, a popular explanation of why resources matter, at De Anza Community College in California. Using reconstructed waitlist queues from detailed registration data, we compare students who missed the admission cutoff for a course section to those who made the cutoff, in a small neighborhood around the course admission threshold. Estimates from a fuzzy regression discontinuity analysis show that students who miss a waitlist cutoff are 3.7 percentage points more likely to take zero courses that term. There is also evidence that students substitute for the waitlisted course by transferring to another two-year school shortly after. These results document the importance of structural differences between four-year schools and two year, non-selective institutions.

deanza_wp_v3.pdf
Robles S. THE IMPACT OF A STEM-FOCUSED SUMMER PROGRAM ON COLLEGE AND MAJOR CHOICES AMONG UNDERSERVED HIGH-ACHIEVERS. In Preparation. SEII Discussion PaperAbstract
This study presents evidence that a STEM-focused summer program for high-achieving, underserved high school students that is held annually at a selective, private university increases application and enrollment rates at selective universities and persistence in STEM. The study uses records from the program admission process to reduce selection bias by focusing on applicants who advanced to the penultimate stage of admissions and controlling for observables using OLS and propensity score techniques. Results show the program triples the rate of enrollment at the host institution. Students are shifting into the host institution from less selective universities on average with no detectable difference in graduation rates, allaying fears of college mismatch.
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Submitted
Dynarski S, Hubbard D, Jacob B, Robles S. ESTIMATING THE EFFECTS OF A LARGE FOR-PROFIT CHARTER SCHOOL OPERATOR. Submitted. NBER working paperAbstract
In this paper, we leverage randomized admissions lotteries to estimate the impact of attending a National Heritage Academy (NHA) charter school. NHA is the fourth largest for-profit charter operator in the country, enrolling more than 56,000 students in 86 schools across 9 states. Unlike several of the other large for-profit companies that operate virtual charters, NHA only has standard bricks-and-mortar schools. Our estimates indicate that attending a NHA charter school for one additional year is associated with a 0.04 standard deviation increase in math achievement. Effects on other outcomes are smaller and not statistically significant. In contrast to most prior charter school research that finds the largest benefits for low-income, underrepresented minorities in urban areas, the benefits of attending an NHA charter network are concentrated among nonpoor students attending charter schools outside urban areas. Using data from a survey of school administrators in traditional public and charter schools, we document several aspects of school organization, culture and instructional practice that might explain these positive effects.
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