Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Title: A Setback Set Right? Unfortunate Timing of Family Distress and Educational Outcomes
Author-Name: Renske Stans
Author-Email: renske.stans@outlook.com

Classification-JEL: I21, I24, I31, J13
Keywords: education system, equality of opportunity, family distress

Abstract: In this paper I present causal evidence that a relatively mild event of family distress
can have lasting negative consequences in a context with high-stakes standardized
testing. I investigate how children's educational outcomes are aected by experiencing
a common form of family distress - the death of a grandparent - shortly before taking
a test that co-determines secondary school track placement. I employ administrative
registers from the Netherlands that allow me to obtain causal estimates by exploiting
the quasi-random timing of death with respect to the track placement test. The
ndings show that grandparental loss at an unfortunate time leads to reduced test
performance, and consequently an increased likelihood of attending or graduating
from the lowest track of secondary education. These negative eects on secondary
school outcomes are further aggravated by the subjective teacher recommendation, as
children who lost a grandparent receive a lower track recommendation. The possibility
to participate in a makeup test and switch tracks later-on mitigates part of the negative
eects, although it is not able to fully oset the initial setback. The ndings underline
the importance of understanding the interaction between the educational setup and
family distress for ensuring educational equality of opportunity.

Note: 
Length: 39
Creation-Date: 2020-08
Revision-Date: 
File-URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp206
File-Format: application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:CRCTR224_2020_206