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Has the Opioid Crisis Affected Student Learning? A National Analysis of Growth Rates

Author

Listed:
  • Jessica Drescher
  • Lily Steyer
  • Carrie Townley-Flores
  • Keith Humphreys

Abstract

The potential spillover effects of the United States’ opioid epidemic on children’s educational outcomes have received surprisingly little attention from researchers. Accordingly, this study leverages national datasets of county-level opioid prescription rates and public school students’ third- to eighth-grade academic achievement to provide the first analysis of associations between community opioid prevalence and children’s learning rates. We find that students in counties with higher community opioid presence learn more slowly than peers in counties with low community opioid presence, both in aggregate and across different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups of students. Moreover, within states we observe a small significant negative association between community opioid presence and student learning rates. This association is similar in rural and nonrural communities. These findings underscore the urgency of conceptualizing the opioid epidemic as a community-level crisis, with potentially long-lasting implications for children’s future educational attainment and life outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Drescher & Lily Steyer & Carrie Townley-Flores & Keith Humphreys, 2022. "Has the Opioid Crisis Affected Student Learning? A National Analysis of Growth Rates," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 703(1), pages 234-261, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:703:y:2022:i:1:p:234-261
    DOI: 10.1177/00027162231151524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cotti, Chad D. & Gordanier, John M. & Ozturk, Orgul D., 2020. "The relationship of opioid prescriptions and the educational performance of children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    2. Moreland, Angela & Newman, Carla & Crum, Kathleen I. & Are, Funlola, 2021. "Types of child maltreatment and child welfare involvement among opioid-using mothers involved in substance use treatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Cohle, Zachary & Ortega, Alberto, 2023. "The effect of the opioid crisis on patenting," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 493-521.

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