Event Title
RAEs in Education
Location
Room 320, Norman Bethune College, York University (Toronto, ON)
Start Date
17-10-2018 9:45 AM
End Date
17-10-2018 10:15 AM
Description
Most jurisdictions worldwide have a single specific cut-off date which determines when a student can enter primary school. For example, in Ontario, a child is eligible to enter kindergarten if s/he turns four years old by January 1st of the relevant school year. These cut off dates create a distribution of ages of children within each cohort at school entry, where the oldest child will be approximately one year older than the youngest child. Studies have found that children who are relatively older than their classmates at the beginning of primary school have a variety of short- and medium-run advantages such as scoring higher on standardized exams through primary and secondary school, having higher development of non-cognitive skills, and being less likely to commit a crime as a teenager or an adult. These findings suggest that early differences in maturity can propagate through the human capital accumulation process into later life and may have important implications for adult outcomes and productivity. This presentation will explore the effects of school entry age on children's outcomes and provide evidence on the optimal age to enter primary education.
RAEs in Education
Room 320, Norman Bethune College, York University (Toronto, ON)
Most jurisdictions worldwide have a single specific cut-off date which determines when a student can enter primary school. For example, in Ontario, a child is eligible to enter kindergarten if s/he turns four years old by January 1st of the relevant school year. These cut off dates create a distribution of ages of children within each cohort at school entry, where the oldest child will be approximately one year older than the youngest child. Studies have found that children who are relatively older than their classmates at the beginning of primary school have a variety of short- and medium-run advantages such as scoring higher on standardized exams through primary and secondary school, having higher development of non-cognitive skills, and being less likely to commit a crime as a teenager or an adult. These findings suggest that early differences in maturity can propagate through the human capital accumulation process into later life and may have important implications for adult outcomes and productivity. This presentation will explore the effects of school entry age on children's outcomes and provide evidence on the optimal age to enter primary education.
Comments
Elizabeth's research focuses on the economics of education and in particular, the early years of children's development. She has written articles on the effect of age at school entry on later academic and labour market outcomes. In addition, she has researched the effect of fiscal incentives in state funding formulas on special education identification and placements and the effects of school principals on student achievement. Her current research focuses on programs and interventions and their effects on early child development. Her research has been published in top economics and education journals, such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Human Resources, Education Finance and Policy, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and the Economics of Education Review. It also has been cited by the popular press, including The New York Times, in the book 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell, and has appeared on '60 Minutes.'