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  • 2021
  • Working Paper
  • HBS Working Paper Series

Who Closed the Schools?

By: Joshua D. Coval
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Abstract

This paper examines the differences in characteristics between U.S. public schools that opted for virtual instruction because of COVID-19, and schools that did not. Much of the variation can be explained by measures of the degree to which districts favored teachers over students before the pandemic: Districts that chose virtual instruction exhibited a far greater willingness to prioritize teacher interests over those of students and the interests of teachers with seniority over younger and/or higher-performing teachers. We provide evidence that this prioritization is associated with significant costs in terms of student test results and graduation rates.

Keywords

Public Education; COVID-19; Virtual Learning; Education; Health Pandemics; Teaching; Internet and the Web; Policy; Outcome or Result; United States

Citation

Coval, Joshua D. "Who Closed the Schools?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-127, June 2021.
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About The Author

Joshua D. Coval

Finance
→More Publications

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