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Can Targeted, Non-Cognitive Skills Programs Improve Achievement? Evidence from EPIS

Author

Listed:
  • Martins, Pedro S.

    (Nova School of Business and Economics)

Abstract

EPIS is an original and large private-sector program aimed at improving student achievement and eroding early school leaving at Portuguese state schools. The program first screens students to focus only on those more likely to perform poorly; and then conducts a number of small-group sessions aimed at improving the non-cognitive skills (e.g. study skills, motivation, self-esteem) of the selected students. Our quasi-experimental evidence of the effects of EPIS is drawn from rich longitudinal student data and the different timings in the roll-out of the program, both within and across schools. The results indicate that the program reduced grade retention by at least 10 percentage points and did so in a cost effective way.

Suggested Citation

  • Martins, Pedro S., 2010. "Can Targeted, Non-Cognitive Skills Programs Improve Achievement? Evidence from EPIS," IZA Discussion Papers 5266, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp5266
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    Citations

    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Can Targeted, Non-Cognitive Skills Programs Improve Achievement?
      by Martin Ryan in Geary Behaviour Centre on 2011-01-03 22:34:00
    2. What Do Students Learn in College?
      by Martin Ryan in Geary Behaviour Centre on 2011-03-10 00:07:00

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Schlotter, 2011. "Age at Preschool Entrance and Noncognitive Skills before School - An Instrumental Variable Approach," ifo Working Paper Series 112, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    2. James J. Heckman & Tomáš Jagelka & Timothy D. Kautz, 2019. "Some Contributions of Economics to the Study of Personality," NBER Working Papers 26459, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Heckman, James J. & Kautz, Tim, 2012. "Hard evidence on soft skills," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 451-464.
    4. Danielle Machado & João Ricardo Rodrigues Moreira, 2016. "Non-cognitive abilities and pre-school: a case study for children in Brazil," Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación volume 11, in: José Manuel Cordero Ferrera & Rosa Simancas Rodríguez (ed.), Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación 11, edition 1, volume 11, chapter 33, pages 605-618, Asociación de Economía de la Educación.
    5. Dahmann, Sarah & Anger, Silke, 2014. "The impact of education on personality : evidence from a German high school reform," IAB-Discussion Paper 201429, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    6. Elke Lüdemann, 2011. "Schooling and the Formation of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Outcomes," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 39.
    7. La Ferrara, Eliana & Carlana, Michela & Pinotti, Paolo, 2017. "Goals and Gaps: Educational Careers of Immigrant Children," CEPR Discussion Papers 12538, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Migali, Giuseppe & Zucchelli, Eugenio, 2017. "Personality traits, forgone health care and high school dropout: Evidence from US adolescents," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 98-119.
    9. Maria Cubel & Ana Nuevo-Chiquero & Santiago Sanchez-Pages & Marian Vidal-Fernandez, 2014. "Do Personality Traits Affect Productivity? Evidence from the Lab," Working Papers 2014012, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics.
    10. James Heckman & Tim Kautz, 2013. "Fostering and Measuring Skills: Interventions That Improve Character and Cognition," Working Papers 2013-019, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    11. Mosthaf, Alexander, 2017. "Change in self-efficacy as a source of state dependence in labor market dynamics?," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168131, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/7gu5r9nb899om9oin7k24kjpgt is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Silvia Mendolia & Ian Walker, 2014. "The Effect Of Noncognitive Traits On Health Behaviours In Adolescence," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(9), pages 1146-1158, September.
    14. Stéphane Carcillo & Rodrigo Fernandez & Sebastian Königs & Andreea Minea, 2015. "NEET Youth in the Aftermath of the Crisis," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03429941, HAL.
    15. Wendy Cunningham & Pablo Acosta & Noël Muller, 2016. "Minds and Behaviors at Work," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 24659, December.
    16. Kautz, Tim & Heckman, James J. & Diris, Ron & ter Weel, Bas & Borghans, Lex, 2014. "Fostering and Measuring Skills: Improving Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills to Promote Lifetime Success," IZA Discussion Papers 8696, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Michela Carlana & Eliana La Ferrara & Paolo Pinotti, 2022. "Goals and Gaps: Educational Careers of Immigrant Children," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(1), pages 1-29, January.
    18. Alexander Mosthaf, 2017. "Change in self-efficacy as a source of state dependence in labor market dynamics?," Working Papers 1715, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    19. Daniel Gladwell & Gurleen Popli & Aki Tsuchiya, 2022. "Predictors of becoming not in education, employment or training: A dynamic comparison of the direct and indirect determinants," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(S2), pages 485-514, December.
    20. Francesco Bartolucci & Fulvia Pennoni & Giorgio Vittadini, 2023. "A Causal Latent Transition Model With Multivariate Outcomes and Unobserved Heterogeneity: Application to Human Capital Development," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 48(4), pages 387-419, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    student achievement; program evaluation; matched school-student data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies

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    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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