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Classroom Diversity And Academic Outcomes

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  • Angela K. Dills

Abstract

This paper tests how the race and ethnicity of one's college classmates affect academic performance. Incoming students at a Catholic college are assigned to their first semester, team‐taught, required course. Statistical tests support that this assignment is uncorrelated with a variety of student characteristics. Controlling for team fixed effects and student characteristics, I find evidence of racial peer effects that differ for white students and students of color. White students earn higher grades in classes with more students of color. Students of color with more nonwhite classmates earn lower grades; these effects occur exclusively among those with lower SAT scores. (JEL I21, I28)

Suggested Citation

  • Angela K. Dills, 2018. "Classroom Diversity And Academic Outcomes," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(1), pages 304-316, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:56:y:2018:i:1:p:304-316
    DOI: 10.1111/ecin.12481
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    9. Peter Arcidiacono & Jacob L. Vigdor, 2010. "Does The River Spill Over? Estimating The Economic Returns To Attending A Racially Diverse College," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 48(3), pages 537-557, July.
    10. Hinrichs, Peter, 2011. "The effects of attending a diverse college," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 332-341, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lau, Yan, 2022. "Does racial diversity improve academic outcomes? A natural experiment in higher education classrooms," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Nicholas A. Bowman & Genia M. Bettencourt & Sora Moon, 2025. "How the Ingroup Representation of First-Generation Students in Residence Halls Predicts Short-Term and Long-Term College Success," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 66(1), pages 1-27, February.
    3. Liu, Xiangqing, 2025. "Breaking segregation in classrooms: Peer composition and inter-group relationships," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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