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Should You Meet the Parents? The Impact of Information on Non-test Score Attributes on School Choice

Author

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  • Facchetti, Elisa

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies, London)

  • Neri, Lorenzo

    (University of St. Andrews)

  • Ovidi, Marco

    (Catholic University Milan)

Abstract

Understanding parental response to non-test score attributes is crucial to design effective school choice systems. We study an intervention providing parents with hard-to-find information on the school environment while holding information on school performance constant. The provision of this information decreases the outflow to private institutions by 17% and increases enrollment at local state schools, particularly among high-income and high-performing students. This intervention encourages parents to expand their state-school search without affecting their taste for academic performance, generating increased competition for schools with desirable attributes. These findings imply that simple, low-cost interventions may improve state schools' finances and composition.

Suggested Citation

  • Facchetti, Elisa & Neri, Lorenzo & Ovidi, Marco, 2023. "Should You Meet the Parents? The Impact of Information on Non-test Score Attributes on School Choice," IZA Discussion Papers 16064, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16064
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    school choice; non-test score school attributes; information intervention;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare

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