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Hidden drop-outs: secondary education (unseen) failure in pandemic times

Author

Listed:
  • Lorenzo Alderighi

    (European University Institute)

  • Rosario Maria Ballatore

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Marco Tonello

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

In this paper we estimate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hidden drop-outs, a new indicator of failure to acquire the minimum skills deemed necessary to obtain a high school diploma. We use the exogenous variation induced by the pandemic by comparing two cohorts of students from the same school, one affected and the other not affected by the pandemic. We find that the indicator increased by 8.6 percentage points. The effect is stronger for students with lower levels of prior achievement, those from lower-income households, but also for those who showed emotional distress during the standardized tests and those who report lower educational aspirations.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Alderighi & Rosario Maria Ballatore & Marco Tonello, 2023. "Hidden drop-outs: secondary education (unseen) failure in pandemic times," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 794, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_794_23
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    hidden drop-outs; secondary education; school failure; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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