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Teacher Performance Pay and Student Learning: Evidence from a Nationwide Program in Peru

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  • Cristina Bellés-Obrero
  • María Lombardi

Abstract

We study the impact of a nationwide teacher pay-for-performance program in Peru. Public secondary schools compete in a tournament based on eighth graders’ performance in a standardized test. The principal and teachers of winning schools receive a substantial bonus. We perform a difference-in-differences estimation comparing the internal grades of eighth and ninth graders of the same school, before and after the program. We find a precisely estimated zero effect on student achievement, which could be a consequence of teachers’ uncertainty about how to improve their students’ performance in the standardized test tied to the bonus.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina Bellés-Obrero & María Lombardi, 2022. "Teacher Performance Pay and Student Learning: Evidence from a Nationwide Program in Peru," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(4), pages 1631-1669.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/714012
    DOI: 10.1086/714012
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    Cited by:

    1. Juan F. Castro & Paul Glewwe & Ricardo Montero, 2019. "Work With What You’ve Got: Improving Teachers’ Pedagogical Skills at Scale in Rural Peru," Working Papers 158, Peruvian Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects
    • J4 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets

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