2025 Theses Doctoral

Essays on the Economics of Education

Pineda, Astrid Camille

This dissertation is composed of three chapters. Each chapter is a paper in the field of economics of education. Together, they examine the impact of three educational interventions aimed at improving student outcomes, using experimental methods across diverse settings.

The first chapter estimates the impact of partially substituting instructional time for the use of computer-adaptive learning technology. To examine this, a field experiment was conducted randomizing the use of the software for two weekly hours among 38 9th grade classrooms. In addition to this, a tutoring component targeted to 20 percent of students was randomized among treated classrooms. Results show that partially substituting instructional time for the use of the adaptive platform led to large improvements in students' test scores. However, classrooms that received the tutoring component in addition to the adaptive learning software, performed worse than those that only received the latter. These differences seem partially explained by implementation challenges and lower use of the platform in tutored classrooms.

The second chapter examines short- and long-term impacts of attending urban and nonurban charter schools in Massachusetts. Using randomized admission lotteries, we find that urban charter schools increase test scores and college attendance and completion; whereas, nonurban charter schools decrease test scores but increase college attendance and graduation, even more so than urban charters. Results suggest that both urban and nonurban charter schools increase college preparation but via different paths. Urban charters increase AP and SAT outcomes, as well as the completion of MassCore, a state-recommended college-prep curriculum. Nonurban charters decrease AP-taking but have a large positive impact on MassCore completion. These findings suggest that there is more than one path to college success, and test score impacts do not always predict longer-term gains.

Lastly, the third chapter examines the impact of a comprehensive reading intervention using a randomized field experiment. The intervention, implemented over two years in a sample of Haitian public schools, provided a combination of teacher training, coaching, supervision, and school supplies. By endline, 18 months after the start of the intervention, we find large positive effects on student reading outcomes. Notably, our results suggest that a model relying on school principals for teacher coaching can be as effective as a costlier and more logistically challenging version involving external coaches. These findings highlight the potential for using existing school leadership to deliver scalable and sustainable pedagogical support in low-capacity settings.