ERIC Number: EJ1053739
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1941-1391
EISSN: N/A
Improving Education in the Developing World: What Have We Learned from Randomized Evaluations?
Kremer, Michael; Holla, Alaka
Annual Review of Economics, v1 p513-542 Sep 2009
Across a range of contexts, reductions in education costs and provision of subsidies can boost school participation, often dramatically. Decisions to attend school seem subject to peer effects and time-inconsistent preferences. Merit scholarships, school health programs, and information about returns to education can all cost-effectively spur school participation. However, distortions in education systems, such as weak teacher incentives and elite-oriented curricula, undermine learning in school and much of the impact of increasing existing educational spending. Pedagogical innovations designed to address these distortions (such as technology-assisted instruction, remedial education, and tracking by achievement) can raise test scores at a low cost. Merely informing parents about school conditions seems insufficient to improve teacher incentives, and evidence on merit pay is mixed, but hiring teachers locally on short-term contracts can save money and improve educational outcomes. School vouchers can cost-effectively increase both school participation and learning.
Descriptors: Developing Nations, Educational Improvement, Educational Practices, Educational Change, Change Strategies, Access to Education, Student Participation, Enrollment Influences, Enrollment Management, Cost Effectiveness, Scholarships, Comprehensive School Health Education, Access to Information, Educational Benefits, Incentives, Curriculum Development, Technology Uses in Education, Remedial Programs, Progress Monitoring, Parent Education, Merit Pay, Teacher Recruitment, Educational Vouchers, Elementary Secondary Education
Annual Reviews. PO Box 10139, Palo Alto, CA 94303. e-mail: service@annualreviews.org; Web site: http://www.annualreviews.org/journal/economics
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A