School Entry Policies, Maternal Education, and Pregnancy Outcomes: New Causal Evidence

Despite growing research interest in school entry policies, their effects on newborn well-being remain understudied. This study provides new causal evidence using restricted birth data from three states, which are based on the latest 2003 revision of birth certificate instruments. Our normalized-and-pooled regression discontinuity analysis demonstrates young mothers born just after the school entry date cutoff have considerably lower educational attainment than those born just before. These women also tend to experience poorer birth outcomes, including a modest decrease in birth weight and a large increase in the risks of multiple adverse birth outcomes. Maternal health behaviors, insurance coverage, and paternal age are key channels for these intergenerational health effects. Overall, in states where educational systems fall behind the national average in terms of advancing academic progress and retaining students, we find additional education can yield significant health benefits for young mothers and their newborns. Key Words: School entry policies, Educational attainment, Infant health, Maternal health behaviors, Regression discontinuity design