Recently,
there has been a move towards K-8 schools as opposed to separate
elementary and middle schools, especially among urban districts.
This paper examines the effect of enrollment in separate elementary and
middle schools relative to enrollment in a K-8 school using longitudinal
data from an anonymous district in the United States. The choice to
enroll in a K-8 or separate elementary and middle schools is potentially
endogenous. While previous research has taken steps to address the
possible endogeneity when estimating the effects for separate middle
schools, previous research has not addressed the possible endogeneity
when examining the effect at the elementary level. Without generating an
unbiased estimate during the elementary grades, we cannot fully
understand the impact of policies that have shifted the grade
arrangement of separate elementary and middle schools to K-8 schools.
This paper employs a research design that leverages the fact that
the anonymous district closed several schools and rezoned their students
to other schools with new boundaries. It compares students on the side
of the new boundaries who are assigned to a separate middle or
elementary school to students on the other side of the new boundaries
who are assigned to a K-8 school.
When taking into the consideration the
effect at the elementary level, our results are much less supportive of
a K-8 policy than previous research.
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