Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: The Impacts of Special Education Access on Student Outcomes

这项拟议的研究项目将使用德克萨斯州的数据和政策变化来研究特殊教育(SE)对学生的长期影响。尽管美国约有13%的公立学校学生就读于SE，并为此花费了大量资金，但人们对SE的长期影响知之甚少。这一研究项目填补了这一空白。2005年，得克萨斯州立法机构引入了8.5%的学区级SE注册上限，而当时学区的SE平均入学率为13%。为了合规，学区大幅减少了SE的招生人数。拟议的研究将利用这一政策变化来确定参与SE的短期和长期影响。这项研究的结果将阐明SE的好处和成本，并为SE计划的设计和实施提供政策输入。因此，这项研究项目的结果将促进美国人力资本的发展，从而促进经济增长。这项建议将利用政策的外生变化来确定社会保障对学生短期和长期结果的因果影响。这项研究将利用2005年的一项政策变化，该政策要求德克萨斯州学区的SE入学率不得超过8.5%，而当时SE的平均入学率为13%。这导致几个学区大幅削减了SE的招生人数。利用与这一招生上限的距离和学生多年的保单风险敞口的地区差异，PI将构建一个工具，捕捉减少SE招生的政策压力的力量。IV估计反映了对那些诊断可能因学区变化而改变的学生的局部平均治疗效果(迟发)，从而为学生在SE安置的边缘提供了因果影响。这一研究项目的结果将为美国改善特殊教育和人力资本形成的政策提供指导。除了评估之外，该研究项目还将创建一个关于SE的大型数据集，供其他研究人员用来研究美国特殊教育的影响。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This proposed research project will use data and policy change in Texas to study the long-term effects of special education (SE) on students. Even though about 13 percent of public school students in the US are in SE and large amounts of money is spent on it, very little is known about the long-term impact of SE. This research project fills the gap. In 2005, the Texas legislature introduced a district level SE enrollment cap of 8.5% at a time when the average district had SE enrolment rate was 13%. To be compliant, school districts sharply reduced SE enrollment. The proposed research will use this policy change to identify the short- and long-term effects of participation in SE. The results of this research will shed light on the benefits and costs of SE as well as provide policy inputs into the design and implementation of SE programs. The results of this research project will therefore improve the development of US human capital, and as a result, increase economic growth.This proposal will use an exogenous change in policy to identify the causal impact of SE on short-term and long-term student outcomes. The study will exploit a 2005 policy change that mandated SE enrolment in Texas school districts to not exceed 8.5% at a time when the average SE enrolment rate was 13%. This resulted in several districts sharply cutting back SE enrolment. Utilizing across district variation in distance from this enrolment cap and students' years of policy exposure, the PIs will construct an instrument that captures the strength of policy pressure to reduce SE enrollment. The IV estimates reflect a local average treatment effect (LATE) for students whose diagnosis could be altered by school district change, thus providing the causal impact for students on the margin of SE placement. The results of this research project will provide guidance on policies to improve special education and human capital formation in the US. In addition to the estimates, the research project will create a large data set on SE that will be used as other researchers will use it to study the effects of special education in the US.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.