If Choosing Between Boarding or Commuting Education, How Does Context Matter in China?

• In Event: Global Perspectives on School Choice

Abstract

In 2001, the State Council on Basic Education Reform in China implemented a policy that made boarding schools the norm in rural China. This policy aimed to improve education quality while addressing social inequalities based on the urban-rural divide. However, early studies have raised safety and health concerns associated with this policy. Moreover, currently there is no known rigorous evidence that boarding education is achieving the goal of reducing achievement gaps. Accordingly, and aligned with the charge of “Accepting Educational Responsibility,” this study offers a comprehensive analysis of the impact of boarding education on non-self-reported and longitudinal academic outcomes of a nationally representative sample of students. The analyses focus on students’ urban and rural locations and consider their socioeconomic statuses.

Authors

• Manuel S. Gonzalez Canche, University of Pennsylvania

• Berta Bartoli, University of Pennsylvania

• Arkādijs Zvaigzne, Harvard University