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Better Together? Heterogeneous Effects of Tracking on Student Achievement

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  • Sönke Hendrik Matthewes

Abstract

I study the effects of early between-school ability tracking on student achievement. My research design exploits institutional differences between German federal states: in all states about 40% of students transition to separate academic-track schools after comprehensive primary school. Depending on the state, the remaining student body is either directly tracked between two additional school types or taught comprehensively for another two years. Comparing these students before and after tracking in a triple-differences framework, I find evidence for positive effects of prolonged comprehensive schooling on mathematics and reading scores. The average effects are almost entirely driven by low achievers, while effects for high achievers are null. Early and rigid forms of tracking can thus impair both the equity and the efficiency of school systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Sönke Hendrik Matthewes, 2021. "Better Together? Heterogeneous Effects of Tracking on Student Achievement," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(635), pages 1269-1307.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:131:y:2021:i:635:p:1269-1307.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueaa106
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    Cited by:

    1. Heisig, Jan Paul & Matthewes, Sönke Hendrik, 2021. "No evidence for positive effects of strict tracking and cognitive homogenization on student performance: A critical reanalysis of Esser and Seuring (2020)," SocArXiv x92mg, Center for Open Science.
    2. Yuta Kuroda, 2023. "What do high-achieving graduates bring to nonacademic track high schools?," DSSR Discussion Papers 138, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University.
    3. Buscha, Franz & Gorman, Emma & Sturgis, Patrick, 2023. "Selective schooling and social mobility in England," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Heisig, Jan Paul & Matthewes, Sönke Hendrik, 2022. "No Evidence that Strict Educational Tracking Improves Student Performance through Classroom Homogeneity: A Critical Reanalysis of Esser and Seuring (2020) [Keine Belege für leistungsfördernde Effek," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 51(1), pages 99-111.
    5. Verhagen, Mark D., 2021. "Prediction in Educational Research: An Application to the Study of Teacher Bias," SocArXiv y6mnb, Center for Open Science.
    6. Breidenbach, Philipp & Hörnig, Lukas & Schaffner, Sandra, 2023. "The divergence of school track choices after Covid-19," Ruhr Economic Papers 1032, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

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