The first chapter studies the impact of public housing regenerations on student achievement. In London, many public housing buildings have been demolished between 1999 and 2016 to pave the way for new developments with higher housing density. The programs gener-ated little displacement of children living in the buildings slated for demolition, and the new developments were targeted mostly by more affluent households. I find that local children exhibit higher math and language test scores at the end of primary school after the regener-ation. Gains are concentrated among students with a more disadvantaged background and low baseline achievement. The second chapter (joint with Erich Battistin) shows that grading standards for primary school exams in England have triggered an inflation of quality indica-tors in the national performance tables for almost two decades. The cumulative effects have resulted in significant differences in the quality signaled to parents for otherwise identical schools. We find large housing price gains from the school quality improvements artificially signaled by inflation, as well as lower deprivation and more businesses catering to families in local neighborhoods. The effects are persistent and identifiable through to the present day. The third chapter (joint with Elisabetta Pasini) examines a 2010 UK education reform that gave schools the option to become academies, independent entities funded by the central government. Once converted, schools choose between remaining standalone academies and joining an academy chain. This paper investigates whether different conversion models af-fect student achievement. We exploit administrative records for primary school-age students and use a grandfathering instrument for attending a converted school. We find that students in academy chains have better scores with respect to standalone academies. Survey data show that academy chains are more likely to make changes related to managerial practices, whereas standalone academies favor changes related to educational practices
