Friday, April 19, 2019

Measuring the Effects of Capital Expenditures on Student and Neighborhood Outcomes


This study o ffers new evidence on the e ffects of school facilities spending on student and neighborhood outcomes, linking data on new facility openings to administrative student and real estate records in Los Angeles Uni ed School District (LAUSD). Since 1997, LAUSD has built and renovated hundreds of schools as a part of the largest public school construction project in US history.

The researchers find that spending 4 years in a new school increases test scores by 10% of a standard deviation in math, and 5% in English-language arts. This in part reflects non-cognitive improvements:
  • Treated students attend four additional days per school year and teachers report greater e ffort.
  • E ffects do not appear to be driven by changes in class size, teacher composition, or peer composition, but reduced overcrowding plays a role. 
  • House prices increase by 6% in neighborhoods that receive new schools. 


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