I study the potential effects of setting mandatory standards in primary and secondary education on student performance. To that end, I present a model in which investment in education is indivisible. Thus, if demand exceeds supply at any level of education, allocation is carried out - at least...

The direct democratic choice of an examination standard, i.e., a performance level required to graduate, is evaluated against a utilitarian welfare function. It is shown that the median preferred standard is inefficiently low if the marginal cost of reaching a higher performance reacts more...

This selection of E.G. West's papers contains a wealth of economic and philosophical analysis which can guide policymakers in the field of education. The papers show how state monopoly provision of education has led to a particular model of schooling which does not work for many of those who use...

This paper surveys the theoretical approaches used in the literature to study the phenomenon of delayed graduation and university dropout. The classical human capital model does not contemplate failure, which the amended human capital model does. Delayed graduation and university dropout are two...

This paper surveys the theoretical approaches used in the literature to study the phenomenon of delayed graduation and university dropout. The classical human capital model does not contemplate failure, which the amended human capital model does. Delayed graduation and university dropout are two...

Each discipline has its own framing and conventions. Economics emphasises the identification of key variables and relationships and their estimation using quantitative research methods, with common reliance on econometrics. The approaches shape what is observed and any resulting policy...

Over the past fifty years, elected officials in the name of education reform have promulgated countless policies. Yet the nation continues to face insufficient seats for pre-K kids, and low performance and high dropout rates among older kids. These statistics are harshest for low income and...

This paper studies whether pupil performance gains in autonomous schools in England can be attributed to the strategic exclusion of poorly performing pupils. In England there were two phases of academy school introduction, the first in the 2000s being a school improvement programme for poorly...

The great majority of studies on the effect of school quality on academic outcomes do not take account of changes in student choices concerning effort if school quality, e.g. class size, changes. We show that empirical estimates of the "total" effect of changes in school quality could be quite...

We present a theory explaining the impact of ability tracking on academic performance based on grading policies. Our model distinguishes between initial ability, which is mainly determined by parental background, and eagerness to extend knowledge. We show that achievements of low ability...