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Mentoring and Schooling Decisions: Causal Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Armin Falk

    (Behavior and Inequality Research Institute (briq) & University of Bonn)

  • Fabian Kosse

    (LMU Munich & Behavior and Inequality Research Institute (briq))

  • Pia Pinger

    (University of Cologne & Behavior and Inequality Research Institute (briq))

Abstract
Inequality of opportunity strikes when two children with the same academic performance are sent to different quality schools because their parents differ in socio-economic status. Based on a novel dataset for Germany, we demonstrate that children are significantly less likely to enter the academic track if they come from low socio-economic status (SES) families,even after conditioning on prior measures of school performance. We then provide causal evidence that a low-intensity mentoring program can improve long-run education outcomes of low SES children and reduce inequality of opportunity. Low SES children, who were randomly assigned to a mentor for one year are 20 percent more likely to enter a high track program. The mentoring relationship affects both parents and children and has positive long-term implications for children's educational trajectories.

Suggested Citation

  • Armin Falk & Fabian Kosse & Pia Pinger, 2020. "Mentoring and Schooling Decisions: Causal Evidence," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 008, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana & Egana-delSol,Pablo & Martinez A.,Claudia, 2022. "Socioemotional Skills Development in Highly Violent Contexts : Measurements and Impacts," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9957, The World Bank.
    2. Rustamdjan Hakimov & Renke Schmacker & Camille Terrier, 2023. "Confidence and College Applications: Evidence from a Randomized Intervention," Working Papers 962, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    3. Boneva, Teodora & Buser, Thomas & Falk, Armin & Kosse, Fabian, 2021. "The Origins of Gender Differences in Competitiveness and Earnings Expectations: Causal Evidence from a Mentoring Intervention," IZA Discussion Papers 14800, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Hakimov, Rustamdjan & Schmacker, Renke & Terrier, Camille, 2022. "Confidence and college applications: Evidence from a randomized intervention," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Market Behavior SP II 2022-209, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    5. Maria Zumbuehl & Nihal Chehber & Rik Dillingh, 2022. "Can skill differences explain the gap in the track recommendation by socio-economic status?," CPB Discussion Paper 439, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    6. Peter Andre, 2021. "Shallow Meritocracy: An Experiment on Fairness Views," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2021_318v1, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    7. Angerer, Silvia & Bolvashenkova, Jana & Glätzle-Rützler, Daniela & Lergetporer, Philipp & Sutter, Matthias, 2023. "Children’s patience and school-track choices several years later: Linking experimental and field data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    8. Priemer, Jana & Rößler-Prokhorenko, Charlotte, 2024. "Die Zivilgesellschaft als neuer Bildungspartner: Mentoring, Patenschaft und Mediation," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Center for Civil Society Research ZZ 2024-601, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    9. Thomas van Huizen & Madelon Jacobs & Matthijs Oosterveen, 2024. "Teacher bias or measurement error?," Papers 2401.04200, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2024.
    10. Peter Andre, 2022. "Shallow Meritocracy," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2022_318v2, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    mentoring; childhood intervention programs; education; human capital investments; inequality of opportunity; socio-economic status;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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