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Minding the Gap: Academic Outcomes from Pre-college Programs

Author

Listed:
  • Kotlikoff, Phoebe

    (United States Navy)

  • Rahman, Ahmed S.

    (Lehigh University)

  • Smith, Katherine

    (U.S. Naval Academy)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the effects of assignment to a one-year college preparatory program on academic performance in college. To measure the value added from pre-college programs, we use a large dataset of United States Naval Academy students from the 1988 to 2018 graduating classes, of which a little over 22% received post-high school remediation. Given the Academy's unique admissions criteria that members of each incoming class originate from an even distribution of congressional districts, we instrument for pre-college treatment using the number and quality of other applicants originating from the same district. After incorporating these instruments as well as a wide range of outcome measures and background characteristics, we find that preparatory programs have positive but limited effects for human capital development for undergraduate students. Specifically, these pre-college programs promote significant but short-lived improvements in academic grades. They also can encourage students to choose STEM-oriented majors, and promote retention by lowering voluntary exits.

Suggested Citation

  • Kotlikoff, Phoebe & Rahman, Ahmed S. & Smith, Katherine, 2021. "Minding the Gap: Academic Outcomes from Pre-college Programs," IZA Discussion Papers 14075, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp14075
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    human capital; remedial education; higher education; liberal arts college;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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