ABSTRACT

We evaluate the impacts of small high schools on youth risky behaviors and mental health in New York City, using a two-sample-instrumental-variable approach to address endogenous school enrollment. We find heterogeneous effects. School size, overall, has little effect. Among students most likely to attend small schools opened after an educational-achievement-oriented reform, however, diagnoses of violence-associated injuries and mental health disorders increased. Among students most likely to attend traditional small schools opened prior to the reform, pregnancy rates and diagnoses of mental health disorders declined. School focus is more important than school size as a determinant of student well-being outcomes.

摘要

我们使用两个样本工具变量方法来解决内生学校入学率问题，评估了小型高中对纽约市青少年危险行为和心理健康的影响。我们发现异质效应。总体而言，学校规模影响不大。然而，在以教育成就为导向的改革后最有可能就读小型学校的学生中，与暴力相关的伤害和精神健康障碍的诊断有所增加。在最有可能就读改革前开设的传统小型学校的学生中，怀孕率和精神健康疾病的诊断率有所下降。作为学生福祉成果的决定因素，学校重点比学校规模更重要。