Learning About Schooling: The Effects of State Level Student Achievement Data on Public Opinion

• In Event: What Does It Mean? The Role of Assessment and Data in Public Opinion

Abstract

There is a growing literature on the effects of student achievement data on public opinion. However, previous experimental studies measured outcomes immediately after the provision of data, making it difficult to distinguish between long-lasting information effects and the more ephemeral consequences of priming. I address this concern by conducting a survey experiment in which I provide student achievement data to a randomly assigned treatment group and then measure political attitudes on education issues at three separate times: immediately, after one day, and after ten days. There is some evidence that the provision of statewide student achievement data temporarily reduces individuals’ confidence in their state school systems, but this effect does not persist after ten days.

Author

• David Houston, Teachers College, Columbia University