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Pre-School Attendance and Primary Education Proficiency in Brazil. Meeting on Early Childhood - An Integrated Approach: Economics, Education, and the Neurosciences, FGV, Rio de Janeiro, December 2009. Objective.
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Pre-School Attendance and Primary Education Proficiency in Brazil Meeting on Early Childhood - An Integrated Approach: Economics, Education, and the Neurosciences, FGV, Rio de Janeiro, December 2009
Objective • Estimate the impact of attending a pre-school on math and portuguese proficiency of 4th grader students in Brazil. • Discuss the importance of pre-school supply as a public policy tool to improve quality of education in Brazil
Outline • Motivation • Some facts of pre-school attendance in Brazil • The Dataset • The Model and Specification • The Results • Cost-Benefit Analysis
Motivation I • There are international evidences that early interventions on education can have lasting effects on cognitive and non-cognitive abilities later in life. Particularly, it may have some impact on learning and other human capital dimensions.
Motivation II • Brazilian students present lower proficiency performance comparatively to students in other countries.
.5 .5 0 0 367 500 625 366 500 623 .5 .5 0 0 212 334 464 288 396 507 .5 .5 0 0 281 387 496 311 422 535 Pisa 2003: Math Proficiency OECD Brazil Mexico
Motivation II • Brazil spends relatively less resources in pre-school students compared to higher level students. • This relative difference is greater in Brazil compared to other countries.
Annual Expenditure Per Time-Equivalent Student (PPP Dollar) - 2005
Annual Expenditure Per Time-Equivalent Student relative to Per Capita Income - 2005
Number of Pre-schools per 100 4 to 6 year old Children and Pe-School Attendance in Brazil
The Dataset • 2005 Prova Brazil • Math and Portuguese Proficiency Exam • 4th and 8th Grade Students • All urban public school with at least 30 students in the corresponding grade
The Dataset Used • All 4th graders with valid information on proficiency, pre-school attendance and demographic and economic variables. • From all Ten years old in 2005 PNAD: • 98,5% attend school • 80% arein urban areas • Among those that attend school, 85% are in public schools.
Summary • Fourth graders that declared to have attended pre-schools • Have, on average, greater test scores on math and portuguese • Are more likely to not be delayed in school
The Model • Pre-school attendance can have a direct effect on learning in the 4th grade (e.g., through habit formation and abilities acquired that are important during the 4th grade) • Pre-school attendance can affect the chance of a child to be delayed in the 4th grade which in turn can affect the performance in the 4th grade
The Model y = test scores PS = pre-school attendance indicator variable D = Delay indicator variable X = vectoe of other controls including family background v = non-observable characteristics
The Specification N = number of pre-schools per 10 Four to Six year olds in the municipality in when a child was Five years old Sem = second semester birth indicator variable
An Exercise from Model 3 • What happens if the supply of public pre-schools increses by one more pre-school per Ten children? • Direct effect on proficiency: • Math: 0,34 x 30,03 = 10,21 • Portuguese: 0,34 x 23,74 = 8,07 • Indirect effect through delay: • Math: {-0,0079/0,3404}* (-13,7) = 0,32 • Portuguese: {-0,0079/0,3404}* (15,06) = 0,35
An Exercise from Model 4 • What happens if the supply of public pre-schools increses by one more pre-school per Ten children? • Direct effect on proficiency: • Math: 0,34 x 31,7 = 10,77 • Portuguese: 0,34 x 21,3 = 7,24 • Indirect effect through delay: • Math: {-0,0155/0,2455}* (-13,6) = 0,85 • Portuguese: {-0,0079/0,3404}* (15,14) = 0,95
Conclusions • Pre-school has impact on 4th graders’ proficiency • The supply of pre-school has a positive impact on the likelihood to a child attendapre-school • A policy of an expansion of school supply may not have a sizeble impact