The missing effect of comportment grading
In their paper recently published in Labour Economics, Florian Schoner from the ifo Center for the Economics of Education, Lukas Mergele from BSS Economic Consultants, and Larissa Zierow from Reutlingen University estimate the effect of grades rating students' social and work behavior in the classroom. To this end, they exploit the staggered introduction of comportment grading across German federal states. Analyzing two different household surveys and student assessment data, they find that comportment grading does not affect students' school-to-work transition, academic achievement, or non-cognitive skill formation. Teachers likely use alternative methods for providing student feedback and managing classroom discipline. more...
|
|
|
Educational opportunities differ between Germany's federal states
The inequality of educational opportunities is very pronounced in all German federal states. This is what Ludger Woessmann, Florian Schoner, Vera Freundl, and Franziska Pfaehler from the ifo Center for the Economics of Education show in their new report. They compare the probability of attending university-track high school for disadvantaged and privileged children. Across Germany, the chance of university-track high school for children from a lower family background is not even half as high (44.6%) as from a higher background; the difference is 33.2 percentage points. However, there are also clear differences between the federal states. Eight examples of good practice, e.g. support during early childhood or data-based language training, are used to present concrete measures for higher equality of opportunity in education. more...
|
|
|
Freshman orientation peers influence academic performance
Are brief social interactions sufficient to create lasting performance spillovers? In his new CESifo Working Paper, Raphael Brade from the ifo Center for the Economics of Education exploits the quasi-random assignment to groups of a two-day freshman orientation program for university students. He finds that higher-ability peers generate positive effects even three years later. A one standard deviation (SD) increase in peer ability improves the academic performance of business administration students by 0.05 to 0.08 SD. This results from the formation of lasting social ties. more...
|
|
|
The effectiveness of soft commitments and reminders
Can a soft commitment and reminders help students succeed? In their new CESifo Working Paper, Raphael Brade from the ifo Center for the Economics of Education, Oliver Himmler from the University of Erfurt, Robert Jäckle from the Nuremberg Institute of Technology, and Philipp Weinschenk from RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau conduct a randomized field experiment and follow a cohort of tertiary students over six years. Students can commit to following their recommended study program structure, and they receive reminders each semester. This easily implementable, low-cost intervention increases the five-year graduation rate (+15 percentage points) and reduces time to graduation (-0.42 semesters), driven by reduced dropout and an increase in credits obtained per semester. more...
|
|
|
Education and social cohesion: new report of the Expert Council of Education
How can the education system help strengthen the integrative power of our increasingly individualized society and provide the foundations for peaceful and trusting coexistence? The new report by the Expert Council of Education (Aktionsrat Bildung), which Ludger Woessmann from the ifo Center for the Economics of Education contributes to, shows this based on an empirical inventory. The report focuses on strengthening social cohesion, which can be measured and developed on various levels: in people's attitudes and behaviors, in the characteristics of groups and in the characteristics of social institutions. The Expert Council derives general and education phase-specific recommendations for action from this analysis. more...
|
|
|
Evaluation of the education system based on current school achievement studies
What can we learn from current school achievement studies for an assessment of the German education system? Ludger Woessmann from the ifo Center for the Economics of Education addresses this question in his keynote speech at the 7th Dortmund Symposium on Empirical Educational Research, which has now been published in the symposium proceedings. He uses the available school achievement studies to describe the development of German students' test performance over time. He also discusses what legacy the Covid-19 pandemic could leave behind in the further trajectory of student achievement. Using international school achievement studies, he then examines possible causes of international differences in educational performance, with a particular focus on the institutional framework of school systems. more...
|
|
|
|
IN THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS
|
|
What would ensuring every child obtains universal basic skills mean for world development?
An article by the CAGE Research Center discusses the study by Sarah Gust, Ludger Woessmann and Eric Hanushek on global basic skills.
|
|
Where educational inequality is particularly pronounced
Florian Schoner in an interview on inequality of opportunity in the German federal states on 3sat NANO (from min. 6:38).
Significant differences between federal states
In an interview on Deutschlandfunk Campus & Karriere, Ludger Woessmann talks about the regionally unequal distribution of educational opportunities. He also discusses these findings in a report on BR24.
Educational opportunities unevenly distributed in the federal states
Tagesschau.de, zdf.de, sueddeutsche.de, spiegel.de, zeit.de, faz.net, handelsblatt.com, rtl.de, n-tv.de, welt.de, rnd.de, rbb24.de, and many more also report on the study on educational inequality in the federal states.
|
|
|
SELECTED EVENTS AND PRESENTATIONS
|
|
2nd CESifo/ifo Junior Workshop on Economics of Education
From April 16-17, 2024, the second CESifo/ifo Junior Workshop on Economics of Education took place at the ifo Institute in Munich. Young researchers in economics of education from Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, Yale, Columbia, UCLA, LSE, PSE and other renowned European universities presented their exciting research. Camille Terrier (Queen Mary London) and Petter Lundborg (Lund) gave the keynote speeches.
|
|
|
Bildung.Table Live Briefing "Educational opportunities: Also a question of achievement level?"
On June 10, 2024, at 12 p.m., Bildung.Table will hold a one-hour online live briefing in which Ludger Woessmann, Simone Fleischmann, and Ties Rabe will talk about educational opportunities in Germany. You can register for the event here.
|
|
|
Recording of the press conference "Unequal educational opportunities: A look at the federal states"
Ludger Woessmann and Florian Schoner presented the ifo Center for the Economics of Education's new study on inequality of opportunity in education at a press conference in Berlin. The video recording can be found here.
|
|
|
Keynote speech by Ludger Woessmann at the Applied Economics Conference
On September 19-20, 2024, the Applied Economics Conference will take place in Belgrade, where Ludger Woessmann will give a keynote speech.
|
|
|
Articles in refereed journals
Schoner, F., L. Mergele, and L. Zierow, "Grading Student Behavior", Labour Economics, 102570, 2024.
Working Papers
Brade, R., "Short-Term Events, Long-Term Friends? Freshman Orientation Peers and Academic Performance", CESifo Working Paper 11046, 2024.
Brade, R., O. Himmler, R. Jäckle, and P. Weinschenk, "Helping Students to Succeed – The Long-Term Effects of Soft Commitments and Reminders", CESifo Working Paper 11001, 2024.
Monographs
Expert Council of Education (Aktionsrat Bildung), "Bildung und sozialer Zusammenhalt", Münster: Waxmann, 2024.
Contributions to edited volumes
Woessmann, L., "Erkenntnisse aus aktuellen Schulleistungsstudien zur Evaluation des Bildungssystems: Eine bildungsökonomische Perspektive", in: N. McElvany, M. Becker, H. Gaspard, F. Lauermann, and A. Ohle-Peters (eds.), "Evaluation des Bildungssystems: Welche Erkenntnisse liefern aktuelle Schulleistungsstudien?", Dortmund Symposium on Empirical Educational Research, Vol. 7, Münster: Waxmann, 9-32, 2024.
Further articles
Hanushek, E., L. Kinne, P. Sancassani, and L. Woessmann, "Patience and the North-South Divide in Student Achievement in Italy and the United States", EconPol Forum 25 (3), 53-56, 2024.
Woessmann, L., "Für eine faire und leistungsfähige Gesellschaft", Akademie Aktuell 82 (1): 24-27, 2024.
Woessmann, L., F. Schoner, V. Freundl, and F. Pfaehler, "Ungleiche Bildungschancen: Ein Blick in die Bundesländer", ifo Schnelldienst 77 (5), 49-62, 2024.
|
|
|
As a Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Ludger Woessmann visited the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in April/May as part of his sabbatical.
|
|
|
Dear readers,
We have always treated your data confidentially in the past, only using it for the purpose that you expressly consented to. We would like to continue to send you information on the activities of the ifo Center for the Economics of Education in the future. Your personal data (email address and, in some cases, your first name and surname) are only used for the purpose specified above. We do not share your data with third parties under any circumstances. If you wish to continue receiving information from us, then you do not need to take any further action. Should you wish to restrict or deny us the right to use your personal data in the future, please click here.
Our warmest thanks for your support and your interest in the work of the ifo Center for the Ecomonics of Education!
|
|
|
|
|
|
