Midterm 2

Question 1

Accountability policies

Answer 1

standards-based reforms

Question 2

NCLB/ESEA requirements

Answer 2

schools tested every year, 100% must be proficient in math and reading, status accountability

Question 3

status accountability

Answer 3

must meet threshhold

Question 4

growth standard

Answer 4

must show growth

Question 5

principal and agent

Answer 5

agent is teacher, principal is taxpayers and parents

Question 6

incentive compatible

Answer 6

all parties want the same outcome

Question 7

individually rational

Answer 7

agent is willing to sign (exp outcome for an option is equal to next-best)

Question 8

Problems with performance pay

Answer 8

1. nature of teaching (hard to measure)
2. team production (little incentive to cooperate when competing)
3. multitasking (teaching to test)
4. selection (those who expect to be high prod choose profession)

Question 9

NCLB results

Dee, Jacob

Answer 9

larger gains in math than reading, most gains in elementary schools, gains among minorities and those with subsidized lunches, slow relative gains among low-achievers

Question 10

Teacher PfP results

Answer 10

large, positive effects at all levels

Question 11

Problems with teacher PfP

Answer 11

1. generalizability of high stakes tests
2. Cheating
3. Motivation Substitution (teachers who are motivated by oreferences may switch jobs)
4. Innefficiency
5. gov interactions (states set up tests)
6. value-added uncertainity (some undeserving get rewards due to error)
7. transparency (teachers don’t understand controls for SES)

Question 12

types of school choice

Answer 12

Residential
Open Enrollment
Magnet Schools
Charter Schools
Vouchers

Question 13

How vouchers improve achievement (3 ways)

Answer 13

1. students choose to switch to superior schools (little evidence)
2. competition from private schools causes public to be more efficient (evidence)
3. Choice allows sorting between peer groups (shining star effect, schools can focus efforts)

Question 14

school choice evidence

Answer 14

open enroll: none

magnet: none
charter: small positive, more likely to be really good or really bad

Question 15

voucher evidence

Answer 15

effect close to zero, strong exception for african americans, small exception for poor in math and catholics

Question 16

2 reasons for net zero effect of vouchers

Answer 16

1. Students in private and public may have both increased achievement due to competition
2. increased choice may have unobservable benefits

Question 17

problems with model

Answer 17

1. perfect competition assumption
2. assumed products weren’t differentiated
3. imperfect info (VA unkown, trust market)
4. systemic costs (transportation, implementation)

Question 18

means-tested

Answer 18

benefits provided according to ability to pay

Question 19

Dobie and Fryer

Answer 19

Harlem preschool, positive benefits each year that could close racial gap

Question 20

redshirting, why it could work

Answer 20

1. Relative age is higher, role model
2. learning begets learning
3. diminishing returns (more HC)

Question 21

redshirting results (Elder and Lubotsky)

Answer 21

big score differences that diminish quickly, high SES kids have biggest advantage, diffs gone by 8th grade

Question 22

Hoxby

Answer 22

men who go to selective college earn back investment many times over, increasing over time, returns to most selective colleges increasing

Question 23

changing interaction between poverty and access to college

Answer 23

high-quality colleges are becoming more accessible to the poor and more inaccessible to low-ability