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Charter Schools and Labor Market Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Will Dobbie
  • Roland G. Fryer

Abstract

We estimate the impact of charter schools on early-life labor market outcomes in Texas. We find that, at the mean, charter schools have no impact on test scores and a negative impact on earnings. No Excuses charter schools increase test scores and 4-year college enrollment but have a statistically insignificant impact on earnings, although the coefficient is almost identical to what one would expect given the correlation between test scores and wages. Other types of charter schools decrease test scores, 4-year college enrollment, and earnings, and surprisingly the decrease in wages is more negative than one would anticipate.

Suggested Citation

  • Will Dobbie & Roland G. Fryer, 2020. "Charter Schools and Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(4), pages 915-957.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/706534
    DOI: 10.1086/706534
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Stephen Machin & Matteo Sandi, 2020. "Autonomous Schools and Strategic Pupil Exclusion," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 130(625), pages 125-159.
    2. Naven, Matthew, 2019. "Human-Capital Formation During Childhood and Adolescence: Evidence from School Quality and Postsecondary Success in California," MPRA Paper 97716, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Jo Blanden & Matthias Doepke & Jan Stuhler, 2022. "Education inequality," CEP Discussion Papers dp1849, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    4. Eyles, Andrew & Machin, Stephen & McNally, Sandra, 2017. "Unexpected school reform: Academisation of primary schools in England," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 108-121.
    5. Schoner, Florian & Mergele, Lukas & Zierow, Larissa, 2024. "Grading student behavior," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    6. Bertoni, Marco & Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel & Silva, Olmo, 2025. "Free to improve? The impact of free school attendance in England," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    7. Diether W Beuermann & C Kirabo Jackson & Laia Navarro-Sola & Francisco Pardo, 2023. "What is a Good School, and Can Parents Tell? Evidence on the Multidimensionality of School Output," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(1), pages 65-101.
    8. repec:jpe:journl:1572 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Matthew Johnson & Alicia Demers, "undated". "Ewing Marion Kauffman School Year 9 Impacts," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 99757ffe4e874b6f91de8b292, Mathematica Policy Research.
    10. Matthew Davis & Blake Heller, 2019. "No Excuses Charter Schools and College Enrollment: New Evidence from a High School Network in Chicago," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 14(3), pages 414-440, Summer.
    11. Kate Place & Philip Gleason, "undated". "Do Charter Middle Schools Improve Students' College Outcomes? (Evaluation Brief)," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 0fb9df64f6ad4ebd91cb58378, Mathematica Policy Research.
    12. Contreras, Dante & Rodríguez, Jorge & Urzúa, Sergio, 2024. "Is private education worth it? Evidence from school-to-work transitions in Chile," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    13. Timothy Bond & Kevin Mumford, 2017. "Teacher Performance Pay in the United States: Incidence and Adult Outcomes," Purdue University Economics Working Papers 1289, Purdue University, Department of Economics.
    14. Mookerjee, Sulagna & Slichter, David, 2023. "Test scores, schools, and the geography of economic opportunity," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    15. Emma Duchini & Victor Lavy & Stephen Machin & Shqiponja Telhaj, 2025. "Personnel policy in public sector organizations: evidence from England's academy schools," CEP Discussion Papers dp2129, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    16. Carycruz Bueno, 2025. "Bricks and Mortar versus Computers and Modems: The Influences of Enrollment in K–12 Virtual Schools," Wesleyan Economics Working Papers 2025-008, Wesleyan University, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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