Compensating for Family Disadvantages: An Analysis of the Effects of Boarding School on Chinese Students Academic Achievement

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Addressing Educational Issues in Rural Contexts

Abstract

China implemented a policy to improve education equity through investing in boarding programs of public schools in rural and less-developed areas. However, this policy has not been informed by empirical research. Using a nationally representative longitudinal data, this study investigated whether and to what extent boarding schools compensate for children’s family disadvantages in terms of mathematics and reading achievement. The findings, drawn from hierarchical models and multi-level logistic regression, indicate that students from low-SES families or living in a rural area tend to reside at boarding schools. Boarding students performed better in 8th-grade reading and math tests compared to their non-boarding peers. Overall, it appears that governmental investment in boarding programs can, to some extent, compensate for students’ family disadvantages.

Authors

• Minda Tan, Shandong Normal University

• Katerina Bodovski, The Pennsylvania State University

• Liangliang Cai, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign