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Screening and Recruiting Talent at Teacher Colleges Using Pre-College Academic Achievement

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher Neilson

    (Princeton University)

  • Sebastian Gallegos

    (Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez)

  • Franco Calle

    (University of Chicago)

  • Mohit Karnani

    (MIT)

Abstract

This paper studies screening and recruiting policies that restrict or incentivize entry to teacher-colleges. Using historical records of college entrance exam scores since 1967 and linking them to administrative data on the population of teachers in Chile, we first document a robust positive and concave relationship between precollege academic achievement and several short and long run measures of teacher productivity. We use an RD design to evaluate two recent policies that increased the share of high-scoring students studying to become teachers. We then show how data-driven algorithms and administrative data can enhance similar teacher screening and recruiting policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Neilson & Sebastian Gallegos & Franco Calle & Mohit Karnani, 2022. "Screening and Recruiting Talent at Teacher Colleges Using Pre-College Academic Achievement," Working Papers 2022-004, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
  • Handle: RePEc:hka:wpaper:2022-004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    13. Gregory Elacqua & Diana Hincapie & Isabel Hincapie & Veronica Montalva, 2022. "Can Financial Incentives Help Disadvantaged Schools to Attract and Retain High‐Performing Teachers? Evidence from Chile," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(2), pages 603-631, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Matteo Bobba & Tim Ederer & Gianmarco León-Ciliotta & Christopher A. Neilson & Marco Nieddu, 2021. "Teacher compensation and structural inequality: Evidence from centralized teacher school choice in Perú," Economics Working Papers 1788, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    2. Hinrichs, Peter, 2021. "What kind of teachers are schools looking for? Evidence from a randomized field experiment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 395-411.
    3. Christopher Neilson & Adam Kapor & Mohit Karnani, 2020. "Aftermarket Frictions and the Cost of Off-Platform Options in Centralized Assignment Mechanisms," Working Papers 635a, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    4. Christopher Neilson & Adam Kapor & Mohit Karnani, 2020. "Aftermarket Frictions and the Cost of Off-Platform Options in Centralized Assignment Mechanisms," Working Papers 635a, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    5. Castro-Zarzur, Rosa & Espinoza, Ricardo & Sarzosa, Miguel, 2022. "Unintended consequences of free college: Self-selection into the teaching profession," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Ricardo Estrada & María Lombardi, 2020. "Skills and Selection into Teaching: Evidence from Latin America," Department of Economics Working Papers wp_gob_2020_10, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    incentives; college entrance exams; administrative data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models

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