The Effects of School Quality and Family Functioning on Youth Math Scores: A Canadian Longitudinal Analysis

CIRPEE Working Paper 08-22

32 Pages Posted: 15 Sep 2008

See all articles by Pierre Lefebvre

Pierre Lefebvre

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) - Department of Economics

Phil Merrigan

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM)

Matthieu Verstraete

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM)

Date Written: September 11, 2008

Abstract

This paper tries to disentangle the relative importance of family and school inputs on a child's cognitive achievement as measured by her percentile score on a mathematics test. We replicate a study by Todd and Wolpin (2007) in the United States with Canadian data. In contrast to their work that uses state-level indicators of school quality, we estimate our model with data from Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) which provides micro-level information on the family and school history of the child. The sample used for the analysis is based on the 7- to 15-year old longitudinal children who have completed at least two consecutive math tests. As in Todd and Wolpin, we conclude that cognitive outcomes are determined by current and past family inputs. Contrary to them, who find no impact of school inputs, we find that the quality of schools has a positive impact on achievement in mathematics.

Keywords: Math scores, human capital, child development, school and family inputs, panel data

JEL Classification: I21, J13, C23

Suggested Citation

Lefebvre, Pierre and Merrigan, Phil and Verstraete, Matthieu, The Effects of School Quality and Family Functioning on Youth Math Scores: A Canadian Longitudinal Analysis (September 11, 2008). CIRPEE Working Paper 08-22, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1266686 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1266686

Pierre Lefebvre (Contact Author)

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 8888, Downtown Station
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8
Canada
514-987-3000 x8373 (Phone)
514-987-8494 (Fax)

Phil Merrigan

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) ( email )

P.O. Box 8888, Downtown Station
Succursale Centre Ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8
Canada

Matthieu Verstraete

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) ( email )

PB 8888 Station DownTown
Succursale Centre Ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C3P8
Canada

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