IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/28531.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Not Too Late: Improving Academic Outcomes Among Adolescents

Author

Listed:
  • Jonathan Guryan
  • Jens Ludwig
  • Monica P. Bhatt
  • Philip J. Cook
  • Jonathan M.V. Davis
  • Kenneth Dodge
  • George Farkas
  • Roland G. Fryer Jr
  • Susan Mayer
  • Harold Pollack
  • Laurence Steinberg

Abstract

There is growing concern that it is too difficult or costly to substantially improve the academic skills of children who are behind in school once they reach adolescence. But perhaps what we have tried in the past relies on the wrong interventions, failing to account for challenges like the increased variability in academic needs during adolescence, or heightened difficulty of classroom management. This study tests the effects of one intervention that tries to solve both problems by simplifying the teaching task: individualized, intensive, in-school tutoring. A key innovation by the non-profit we study (Saga Education) is to identify how to deliver “high-impact tutoring” at relatively low cost ($3,500 to $4,300 per participant per year). Our first randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Saga’s tutoring model with 2,633 9th and 10th grade students in Chicago public schools found participation increased math test scores by 0.16 standard deviations (SDs) and increased grades in math and non-math courses. We replicated these results in a separate RCT with 2,710 students and found even larger math test score impacts—0.37 SD—and similar grade impacts. These effects persist into future years, although estimates for high school graduation are imprecise. The treatment effects do not appear to be the result of a generic “mentoring effect” or of changes in social-emotional skills, but instead seem to be caused by changes in the instructional “technology” that students received. The estimated benefit-cost ratio is comparable to many successful model early-childhood programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan Guryan & Jens Ludwig & Monica P. Bhatt & Philip J. Cook & Jonathan M.V. Davis & Kenneth Dodge & George Farkas & Roland G. Fryer Jr & Susan Mayer & Harold Pollack & Laurence Steinberg, 2021. "Not Too Late: Improving Academic Outcomes Among Adolescents," NBER Working Papers 28531, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28531
    Note: CH ED LS PE
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nber.org/papers/w28531.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bonesrønning, Hans & Finseraas, Henning & Hardoy, Ines & Iversen, Jon Marius Vaag & Nyhus, Ole Henning & Opheim, Vibeke & Salvanes, Kari Vea & Sandsør, Astrid Marie Jorde & Schøne, Pål, 2022. "Small-group instruction to improve student performance in mathematics in early grades: Results from a randomized field experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    2. Carlana, Michela & La Ferrara, Eliana, 2021. "Apart but Connected: Online Tutoring and Student Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IZA Discussion Papers 14094, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Borra, Cristina & Iacovou, Maria & Sevilla, Almudena, 2023. "Adolescent development and the math gender gap," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Pedro S. Martins, 2017. "(How) do non-cognitive skills programs improve adolescent school achievement? Experimental evidence," Nova SBE Working Paper Series wp614, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics.
    5. Nicolai T. Borgen & Lars J. Kirkebøen & Andreas Kotsadam & Oddbjørn Raaum, 2022. "Do funds for more teachers improve student outcomes?," Discussion Papers 982, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    6. Verónica Cabezas & José Ignacio Cuesta & Francisco Gallego, 2021. "Does Short-Term School Tutoring have Medium-Term Effects? Experimental Evidence from Chile," Documentos de Trabajo 565, Instituto de Economia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile..
    7. de Ree, Joppe & Maggioni, Mario A. & Paulle, Bowen & Rossignoli, Domenico & Ruijs, Nienke & Walentek, Dawid, 2023. "Closing the income-achievement gap? Experimental evidence from high-dosage tutoring in Dutch primary education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    8. Jonathan M.V. Davis & Jonathan Guryan & Kelly Hallberg & Jens Ludwig, 2017. "The Economics of Scale-Up," NBER Working Papers 23925, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Henning Finseraas & Ole Henning Nyhus & Kari Vea Salvanes & Astrid Marie Jorde Sandsør, 2024. "Sustained Effects of Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics," CESifo Working Paper Series 11021, CESifo.
    10. Angrist, Noam & Bergman, Peter & Matsheng, Moitshepi, 2020. "School's Out: Experimental Evidence on Limiting Learning Loss Using," IZA Discussion Papers 14009, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Matthew A. Lenard & Mikko Silliman, 2024. "Informal Social Interactions, Academic Achievement and Behaviour: Evidence from Peers on the School Bus," CESifo Working Paper Series 11115, CESifo.
    12. Noam Angrist & Peter Bergman & Moitshepi Matsheng, 2020. "School’s Out: Experimental Evidence on Limiting Learning Loss Using “Low-Tech” in a Pandemic," NBER Working Papers 28205, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Lars J. Kirkebøen & Trude Gunnes & Lena Lindenskov & Marte Rønning, 2021. "Didactic methods and small-group instruction for low-performing adolescents in mathematics. Results from a randomized controlled trial," Discussion Papers 957, Statistics Norway, Research Department.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • Z18 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Public Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28531. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.