Evaluation of an Extended Day Program in the Netherlands: A Randomized Field Experiment

Policies that aim at improving student achievement frequently increase instructional time, for example by means of an extended day program. There is, however, hardly any evidence that these programs are effective, and the few studies that allow causal inference indicate that we should expect neutral to small effects of such programs. This study conducts a randomized field experiment to estimate the effect of an extended day program in seven Dutch elementary schools on math and reading achievement. The empirical results show that this three-month program had a modest but non-significant effect on math, and no significant effect on reading achievement.Extended Day; Increased Instructional Time; Random Assignment; Field Experiment

How are Teachers Teaching? A Nonparametric Approach

This paper examines which conguration of teaching activities (expressed in, e.g., problem solving, homework, lecturing) maximizes student performance. To do so, it formulates a non- parametric eciency model that is rooted in the Data Envelopment Analysis literature. In the model, we account for (1) self selection of students and teachers in better schools, and (2) complementary teaching activities. The analysis distinguishes both individual teaching (i.e., a personal teaching style adapted to the individual needs of the student) and collective teaching (i.e., a similar style for all students in a class). Exploiting the data set, we compare the actual teaching style as revealed by the teacher in the data to the model estimations. As such, we anal- yse which students in the class the teacher is targeting with his/her teaching style. The main results show that high test scores are associated with teaching styles that emphasise problem solving and homework. In addition, teachers seem to adapt their optimal teaching style on the 70 percent least performing students.Data Envelopment Analysis, Teacher Quality, Student Performance, Nonparametric estimation, Revealed teaching style

Intra-household Work Time Synchronization

If partners derive utility from joint leisure time, it is expected that they will coordinate their work schedules in order to increase the amount of joint leisure time. This paper tries to answer three questions using a new matching procedure where couples are matched to other couples. (1) Do partners coordinate their work schedules and does this result in work time synchronization, (2) which partners synchronize more work hours, and (3) is there a preference for togetherness. We find that (1) coordination results in more synchronized work hours. (2) the presence of children is the main cause why some partners synchronize their work times less than other couples, and (3) partners coordinate their work schedules in order to have more joint leisure time, which is evidence for togetherness preferences.