ERIC Number: EJ1218020
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0276-8739
EISSN: N/A
Is Information Enough? The Effect of Information about Education Tax Benefits on Student Outcomes
Bergman, Peter; Denning, Jeffrey T.; Manoli, Dayanand
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, v38 n3 p706-731 Sum 2019
There is increasing evidence that tax benefits for college do not affect college enrollment. This may be because prospective students do not know about tax benefits for college or because the design of tax benefits is not conducive to affecting educational outcomes. We focus on changing awareness of tax benefits by providing information to students or prospective students. We sent e-mails and letters to students that described tax benefits for college, and we tracked college outcomes. For all three of our samples--rising high school seniors, already enrolled students, and students who had previously applied to college but were not currently enrolled--information about tax benefits for college did not affect enrollment or reenrollment. We test whether effects vary according to information frames and found that no treatment arms changed student outcomes. We conclude that awareness is not the primary reason that tax benefits for college do not affect enrollment.
Descriptors: Taxes, College Attendance, Outcomes of Education, Electronic Mail, Letters (Correspondence), Tuition, High School Seniors, College Students, Knowledge Level, Costs, Information Sources, Correlation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
What Works Clearinghouse Reviewed: Meets Evidence Standards without Reservations
WWC Study Page: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/study/90365