Do Long Bus Rides Harm Student Outcomes? Evidence From New York City

• In Event: 75.043 - MTCC Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: Policy Implementation and Scale

Abstract

Half of all U.S. students ride the school bus each day, yet little is known about how the school bus and features of students’ commutes. In this paper, we begin to fill that gap. First, we describe how bus experiences, including commute times, vary across sociodemographic groups. Second, we estimate the causal effect of longer bus rides on student performance. We find that black, Hispanic, and Asian students have longer commutes than white students, even when controlling for commute distance. Preliminary evidence also suggests that longer bus commutes have deleterious effects on student performance. The results from this study can offer guidance to policymakers about how best to leverage pupil transportation to enhance academic outcomes for disadvantaged.

Authors

• Sarah A. Cordes, Temple University

• Christopher Rick, Syracuse University

• Amy E Schwartz, Syracuse University