Education Curriculum and Student Achievement: Theory and Evidence

Abstract

This paper proposes a theory of education curriculum and analyzes its distributional impact on student learning outcomes. Different curricula represent horizontal differentiation in the education technology, thus a curriculum change has distributional effects across students. We test the model using the quasi-natural experiment of the G8 reform in Germany. We find evidence of heterogeneous reform effects consistent with our theory. While the reform improves student test scores on average, such benefits are more pronounced for well-prepared students. In contrast, less-prepared students do not benefit from the reform.JEL Classification: I21, I28, D04

The Causal Effects of Increased Learning Intensity on Student Achievement: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

“…This implies that the number of weekly hours of instruction per grade, and the corresponding curriculum covered, have been increased in G8 compared to G9 academic-track high schools, leading to a higher learning intensity. While a uniform distribution of the overall instructional hours requirement across grades would imply an increase in the weekly number of instructional hours from 6 Whereas since the Second World War the overall length of Gymnasium in the West German states has been thirteen years, it was set at twelve years in the former East German states. Following reunification, the former East German states -with the exception of Saxony and Thuringia -adapted to West German standards, increasing the overall schooling length to thirteen years.…”

“…The sample used in column (5) sample add Saxony (SN) and Thuringia (TH) as control states to the main sample. The sample used in column (6) excludes from the main sample students that experienced grade retention. The sample used in column (7) excludes from the main sample students born outside the school entry cutoff years of their PISA cohort.…”