scholarly journals Competitive Effects of Means-Tested School Vouchers

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Figlio ◽  
Cassandra M. D. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Private School ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
School Vouchers ◽  
School Students ◽  
Public School Students ◽  
Competitive Effects ◽  
Voucher Program ◽  
Resource Levels ◽  
Student Composition

We use the introduction of a means-tested voucher program in Florida to examine whether increased competitive pressure on public schools affects students’ test scores. We find greater score improvements in the wake of the program introduction for students attending schools that faced more competitive private school markets prior to the policy announcement, especially those that faced the greatest financial incentives to retain students. These effects suggest modest benefits for public school students from increased competition. The effects are consistent across several geocoded measures of competition and isolate competitive effects from changes in student composition or resource levels in public schools. (JEL H75, I21, I22, I28)

scholarly journals Public school students at a clear disadvantage in English language vocabulary production

Káñina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-94
Author(s):  
Damaris Castro-García
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
Private School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
School Students ◽  
Public School Students ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Based Instruction

The aim of the present study is to offer a comparative perspective on the level of attainment of productive vocabulary in three different high school settings in the Costa Rican educational system. The study compares the results obtained in two tasks that demand controlled production and free productive vocabulary from students who attend these schools. The vocabulary was measured through the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT) and a free composition, respectively. The first school is a school where content based instruction is implemented. The second school, a semi-private school, offers more hours of instruction of English as a Foreign Language than the minimum required by the Ministry of Education, although English is not used to teach non-language subjects. In the third school, a public school, the minimum number of hours officially required is offered to the students (532 hours). The results in the controlled productive vocabulary task and in the free composition favor, by far, the performance of the students who are taught using English as a medium of instruction. These results point to a much-needed change in the teaching methodology of EFL in Costa Rica, especially when it comes to the teaching practices implemented in most public schools.

“Students in public and private schools—which are at higher risk of drug abuse?”: A survey from Iran

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Bahramnejad ◽  
Abedin Iranpour ◽  
Nouzar Nakhaee
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Public School ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Private Schools ◽  
Private School ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public School Students

Abstract Background Recent evidence from Western countries suggests that private school students are more prone to drug use. Such an evidence is lacking in Muslim countries. The aim of this study was to examine whether the risk of drug use is higher in private schools than public schools. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted on 630 randomly selected 10th grade students of Kerman city, the center of largest province of Iran. Well-validated questionnaires regarding current, lifetime substance use, and perceived use by classmates were utilized. Substances included in the questionnaire were waterpipe, cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, opium, methamphetamine, and Naas. Drug Abuse Tendency Scale was used to measure the attitudes of students towards drug use. Results More than 82% of sample were public school students (n = 504). Ever use of cigarette, alcohol and marijuana was higher in private schools (27.6%, 39.0%, and 5.7%, respectively) than public schools (15.3%, 25.8%, 2.2%, respectively) (P < 0.05). The drug abuse tendency score was nearly higher in public school students (10.4 ± 9.4) than private schools (12.1 ± 9.9) (P = 0.090). Perceived prevalence of cigarette and marijuana use by classmates was higher among private school students. Conclusion Despite the popular belief that private schools are better than public schools regarding the risk of substance use, students who attend private schools are at a higher risk of turning to some drugs comparing to public schools in Iran.

scholarly journals Household Chores or Play Outdoors? The Intersecting Influence of Gender and School Type on Physical Activity Among Indian Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 682-691
Author(s):  
Ilana G. Raskind ◽  
Shailaja S. Patil ◽  
Nikhil Tandon ◽  
Sharanya Thummalapally ◽  
Michael R. Kramer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Private School ◽  
Rate Ratio ◽  
School Type ◽  
School Students ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Active Time ◽  
Public School Students ◽  
Indian Adolescents

Most Indian adolescents, particularly girls and private school students, do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA). Current understanding of these sociodemographic differences is limited by a focus on exercise, which may not fully capture PA in developing countries. We examined how gender and school type are associated with multiple PA domains and whether associations with gender differ by school type. We randomly selected an equal number of girls and boys (ages 13-16 years) from public and private schools in Southern India ( n = 395). Cross-sectional 24-hour time-use surveys measured PA, which was categorized into three domains: chores, errands, and work; play; and transportation. Negative binomial and logistic regression modeled relative differences in domain-specific PA minutes and the probability of engaging in ≥60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), respectively, in the prior 24 hours. Girls and boys were equally likely to meet MVPA recommendations. However, girls spent twice as much active time completing chores, errands, and work (rate ratio = 1.98, 95% confidence interval = [1.32, 2.98]), while boys spent twice as much active time playing (rate ratio = 2.11, 95% confidence interval = [1.23, 3.62]). Public and private school girls spent more active time in chores, errands, and work than boys; however, gender differences were greater among public school students ( p value for interaction <.05). Although comparable MVPA levels for girls and boys are beneficial for physical health, girls may gain fewer cognitive, social, and emotional benefits associated with play. Additional research may clarify why the gendered burden of household responsibilities was greater among public school students. School-based programs to engage girls in active play may help reduce inequities.

scholarly journals ERICA: use of screens and consumption of meals and snacks by Brazilian adolescents

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (suppl 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Souza Oliveira ◽  
Laura Augusta Barufaldi ◽  
Gabriela de Azevedo Abreu ◽  
Vanessa Sá Leal ◽  
Gisela Soares Brunken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Private School ◽  
School Students ◽  
Male Adolescents ◽  
Complex Sampling ◽  
Range Type ◽  
Complex Sampling Design ◽  
The Media ◽  
Age Range

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the length of exposure to screens and the prevalence of consumption of meals and snacks by Brazilian adolescents in front of screens. METHODS We evaluated 74,589 12 to 17-year old adolescents from 1,247 schools in 124 Brazilian municipalities. A self-administered questionnaire was used. Its segment regarding nutrition contained questions about using TV, computers, and video game systems, having meals while watching TV, and consuming snacks in front of screens. Consumption of meals and snacks in front of screens was analyzed according to the following variables: geographical region, gender, age range, type of school (public or private), and school shift. The prevalences and their respective 95% confidence intervals were estimated under a complex sampling design. RESULTS A great deal of the adolescents (73.5%, 95%CI 72.3-74.7) reported spending two or more hours a day in front of screens. That habit was more frequent among male adolescents, private school students, morning shift students, and students from Brazil’s South region. More than half of the adolescents (56.6%, 95%CI 55.4-57.8) reported almost always or always having meals in front of TV, and 39.6% (95%CI 38.8-40.5) of them said they consumed snacks in front of screens exactly as often. Both situations were the most prevalent ones among the girls, who attended public schools and were from Brazil’s Midwest region. CONCLUSIONS Length of exposure to screens and consumption of meals and snacks almost always or always in front of screens are high among Brazilian adolescents. It is necessary to develop strategies aiming to reduce the length of screen use, considering the media reality that children and adolescents have been experiencing from earlier and earlier ages. That context must therefore be analyzed in an indissociable way.

scholarly journals A Comparison of the Academic Achievement of Home School and Public School Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Boulter
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Home School ◽  
School Students ◽  
Public School Students ◽  
Significant Difference

<p>This study added to existing data on home school effectiveness by comparing the academic achievement of 66 home school students with 66 of their grade-level peers in traditional public schools. The two groups of students were matched on gender, race, and grade level and were administered the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III. No significant difference in overall academic achievement was found between the groups.  Both home school and public school students had average or above average scores in reading, math, written language, and broad knowledge (science, social studies, and humanities).  The results further revealed a downward trend in math, reading and broad knowledge scores with increasing grade level. This trend suggests that home school and public school students experience a “developmental mismatch” between the changes that occur in adolescence and their school/home experiences, resulting in lower motivation, confidence, and academic performance.</p>

scholarly journals Choosing a career path in agriculture: A tough calling for youths in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37
Author(s):  
Oluwakemi Adeola Obayelu ◽  
Ifeoluwa Olawale Fadele
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Private School ◽  
National Development ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
School Students ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Equal Distribution ◽  
Tertiary Institutions

Abstract The decline in youth population and the upsurge in ageing farmer population have resulted in low agricultural output and per capital productivity in rural Nigeria, which is a threat to the national food security. High school students’ perception of agriculture and factors influencing their willingness to study agriculture in tertiary institutions were therefore investigated in this study. Information from 285 science students in high schools was analysed using descriptive statistics, Likert scale and logistic regression. Age of the students was 15.30 ± 1.17 years with almost equal distribution of both sexes. About half (50.5 %) of them wanted to study medicine where as only 4.6 % of the respondents were willing to study agriculture in the university. A higher percentage of female students (57.6 %) were willing to study agriculture in tertiary institution than their male counterparts (42.4 %). A higher percentage of students from public schools (51.4 %) were willing to study agriculture whereas 48.6 % of those from private schools were willing to do so. The students were undecided about the contribution of agriculture to national development but strongly disagreed that agriculture gives less income than other professions. Major motivating factors that can stimulate the respondents’ willingness to study agriculture were career awareness program in agriculture, practical knowledge of agriculture and agricultural excursion. The likelihood of a high school student’s willingness to study agriculture increased significantly with having a father who primarily practised agriculture and supports agricultural education, attending a school where crude implements are not used, visit to a mechanized farm and the youth’s willingness to own a farm in the future irrespective of the course of study, while attending a private school will decrease it. In conclusion, high school students had average perception of agriculture and were not willing to study agriculture in tertiary institutions. Suggestions are presented on how to change this negative attitude towards this vital branch of science.

School Sanitation-Related Psychosocial Stressors among Nigerian Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ojima Zechariah Wada ◽  
Aminat Opeyemi Amusa ◽  
Fiyinfoluwa Taiwo Asaolu ◽  
David Olatunde Akinyemi ◽  
Elizabeth Omoladun Oloruntoba
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
Private School ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Stressors ◽  
School Students ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public School Students ◽  
School Sanitation

Psychosocial stressors are indicative of challenges associated with the social and environmental conditions an individual is subjected to. In a bid to clearly understand the present gaps in school sanitation, this cross-sectional study aimed to identify the sanitation-related psychosocial stressors experienced by students in a Nigerian peri-urban community and their associated impacts. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 400 students from 10 schools. The students to toilet ratio were 1,521:0 and 1,510:0 for the public-school boys and girls, respectively, and 74:1 and 70:1 for the private-school boys and girls, respectively. Furthermore, public-school students had a significantly higher average stress level (P < 0.001, η2p = 0.071) and a significantly higher proportion of students experiencing school absenteeism (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 4.8; 95% confidence interval [C.I] = 2.7–8.2), missed classes (P < 0.001; OR = 5.8; CI = 2.8–12.0), long urine/fecal retention time (P < 0.001; OR = 2.9; CI = 1.8–4.7), open defecation practice (P < 0.001; OR = 4.2; CI = 2.5–7.1), and open defecation-related anxiety (P < 0.001; OR = 3.6; CI = 2.0–6.5). Moreover, the inability to practice menstrual hygiene management was significantly associated with student-reported monthly school absence among girls (P < 0.001; OR = 4.5; CI = 2.2–9.4). Overall, over 50% of the respondents had reportedly been subjected to at least 14 of the 17 stressors outlined. The most prevalent stressors identified were concerns about disease contraction, toilet cleanliness, toilet phobia, privacy, and assault/injury during open defecation/urination. In conclusion, results show that the absence of functional sanitation facilities purportedly has a grievous effect on the mental, physical, social, and academic well-being of the students. This was clearly seen among public-school students. Subsequent sanitation interventions need to be targeted at ameliorating identified stressors.

Competitive Impacts of Means-Tested Vouchers on Public School Performance: Evidence from Louisiana

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna J. Egalite ◽  
Jonathan N. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Choice ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Private School ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
First Year ◽  
Competitive Effects ◽  
Scholarship Program ◽  
Sudden Injection

Given the significant growth rate and geographic expansion of private school choice programs over the past two decades, it is important to examine how traditional public schools respond to the sudden injection of competition for students and resources. Although prior studies of this nature have been limited to Florida and Milwaukee, using multiple analytic strategies this paper examines the competitive impacts of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) to determine its achievement impacts on students in affected public schools. Serving 4,954 students in its first year of statewide expansion, this targeted school voucher program provides public funds for low-income students in low-performing public schools to enroll in participating private schools across the state of Louisiana. Using (1) a school fixed effects approach and (2) a regression discontinuity framework to examine the achievement impacts of the LSP on students in affected public schools, this competitive effects analysis reveals neutral to positive impacts that are small in magnitude. Policy implications are discussed.

Making Broad Shoulders: Body-Building and Physical Culture in Chicago 1890–1920

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Churchill
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
School Board ◽  
Physical Culture ◽  
School Board Members ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Public School Students ◽  
Chicago Public School

In February 1899, the Committee of Physical Culture of the Chicago Public School Board approved an intensive “anthropometric” study of all children enrolled in the city's public schools. The study was a detailed attempt to measure the height, weight, strength, lung capacity, hearing, and general fitness of Chicago's student population. Through 1899 and 1900, thousands of Chicago's primary, grammar, and high school students had their bodies closely scrutinized, measured, weighed, tested, and, in a few cases, diagrammed. What the School Board members wanted to know was the “fitness” of the student body. Were Chicago public school students—many recently arrived immigrants from eastern and southern Europe—vital and vigorous children who could become energetic modern workers and citizens (Figure 1)?

scholarly journals Expression of Depressive Symptoms in a Nonclinical Brazilian Adolescent Sample

2005 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarice Gorenstein ◽  
Laura Andrade ◽  
Elaine Zanolo ◽  
Rinaldo Artes
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Discriminant Analysis ◽  
Private School ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Preventive Strategy ◽  
International Studies ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Sample

Objective: This study aimed to detect the prevalence of depressive symptomatology and its expression in a nonclinical Brazilian adolescent student sample. Method: A sample of students from private and public schools ( n = 1555, aged 13 to 17 years) answered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We performed factor analysis of the BDI as an indicator of the expression of depressive symptomatology. The following cut-off scores defined nonclinical subgroups: “nondepressed,” BDI < 15; “dysphoria,” BDI 16 to 20; and “depressed,” BDI > 20. We used discriminant analysis to test whether these subgroups could be separated by the depression-specific and nonspecific items. Results: The point prevalence of depression was 7.6%, according to the BDI cut-off of 20. Girls had higher scores than boys in several items. Scores increased with age. Students from public schools had higher scores than did private school students. Factor analysis showed 2 common factors for the total sample and for each sex: the cognitive affective dimension and the somatic nonspecific dimension. In the adolescents showing clinical depression, items related to self-depreciation, sense of failure, guilty feelings, self-dislike, suicidal wishes, and distortion of body image were common components of BDI factors. Discriminant analysis showed that the BDI highly discriminates depressive symptomatology in adolescent students and also measures specific aspects of depression. Conclusions: The BDI is useful as a measure of specific aspects of depression in nonclinical adolescent samples; it was able to detect depression in approximately 7% of the surveyed population. The expression of depressive symptoms in a Brazilian adolescent population is compatible with international studies in this age group. Detecting depressive symptoms in a school population is a critical preventive strategy; to avoid damage to the learning process, it should be followed with further referral to treatment when needed.

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