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Ethnic studies increases longer-run academic engagement and attainment

Author

Listed:
  • Sade Bonilla

    (College of Education, Center for Student Success Research, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003;)

  • Thomas S. Dee

    (Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA 02138)

  • Emily K. Penner

    (School of Education, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697)

Abstract

Increased interest in anti-racist education has motivated the rapidly growing but politically contentious adoption of ethnic studies (ES) courses in US public schools. A long-standing rationale for ES courses is that their emphasis on culturally relevant and critically engaged content (e.g., social justice, anti-racism, stereotypes, contemporary social movements) has potent effects on student engagement and outcomes. However, the quantitative evidence supporting this claim is limited. In this preregistered regression-discontinuity study, we examine the longer-run impact of a grade 9 ES course offered in the San Francisco Unified School District. Our key confirmatory finding is that assignment to this course significantly increased the probability of high school graduation among students near the grade 8 2.0 grade point average (GPA) threshold used for assigning students to the course. Our exploratory analyses also indicate that assignment increased measures of engagement throughout high school (e.g., attendance) as well as the probability of postsecondary matriculation.

Suggested Citation

  • Sade Bonilla & Thomas S. Dee & Emily K. Penner, 2021. "Ethnic studies increases longer-run academic engagement and attainment," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(37), pages 2026386118-, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:118:y:2021:p:e2026386118
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    Cited by:

    1. Saharsh Agarwal & Ananya Sen, 2022. "Antiracist Curriculum and Digital Platforms: Evidence from Black Lives Matter," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(4), pages 2932-2948, April.
    2. Doss, Christopher & Fricke, Hans & Loeb, Susanna & Doromal, Justin B., 2022. "Engaging girls in math: The unequal effects of text messaging to help parents support early math development," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

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