Lead exposure and student outcomes: A study of Flint schools

Abstract

This paper estimates the impacts of cumulative lead exposure on the short‐run discipline and academic achievement of elementary school students. An exogenous, heterogeneous shock of lead‐in‐water levels within classrooms at Flint Community Schools provides the treatment variation used to focus on the understudied, short‐run effects of lead on older children. At the mean level of classroom lead exposure disciplinary actions increased by 8 actions per grade within each school, and the share of students proficient in both math and reading declined. These results may help explain observed disparities in both behavior and academic achievement for underprivileged groups.