The main goal of secondary school education in developed countries is to prepare students for higher education and the labor market. That demands high investments in study duration and specialized fields to meet rising skill requirements. However, these demands for more education are in...

I estimate in this article the effect of teaching practices on student achievements. I find that teaching based on the instilment of knowledge and comprehension (‘traditional’ teaching), and techniques that endow pupils with analytical and critical skills (‘modern’ teaching) has strong...