Understanding the impact of integration policies in New York City Public Schools

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Date Completed
Abstract

Partnering with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), Angrist and his team will study the effects of admissions policies on measures of diversity, enrollment and application decisions. They will explore the short-term effects of current integration efforts and evaluate potential alternatives. Studies on the effects of school segregation suggest integration may have both academic and psychological benefits to students, but evidence of the causal effects of integration, particularly in more recent years, remains elusive. Using a differences-indifferences strategy based on the sudden adoption of school-level diversity targets, the team aims to provide evidence that addresses core questions in the debate over integration and diversity: Do diversity policies like those adopted in NYC reduce racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic segregation both within each local district and across the city’s schools? Do diversity policies induce families to change their enrollment decisions? And do these enrollment changes reinforce or diminish the impact of integration policies? Do diversity policies induce families to apply to different schools? And do these application changes reinforce or diminish the impact of integration policies? Would other policies lead to larger increase in school diversity?

Researchers
Joshua Angrist, Clemence Idoux
Lab Name
School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative