School accountability laws and the consumption of psychostimulants

Abstract

Over the past decade, several states introduced varying degrees of accountability systems for schools, which became federal law with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The intent of these accountability laws was to improve academic performance and to make school quality more observable. Nonetheless, schools have reacted to these pressures in several different ways, some of which were not intended. We make use of the variation across states and over time in specific provisions of these accountability laws and find that accountability pressures effect medical diagnoses and subsequent treatment options of school aged children. Specifically, children in states with more stringent accountability laws are more likely to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and consequently prescribed psychostimulant drugs for controlling the symptoms. However, conditional on diagnosis, accountability laws do not further change the probability of receiving medication therapy.

How French media have portrayed ADHD to the lay public and to social workers

“…born just after the cut-off) (Evans, Morrill, & Parente, 2010). And third, children living in states with more stringent school accountability laws are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (Bokhari & Schneider, 2011). Similar studies are lacking in France, but it has been noted that children at risk of ADHD symptoms exhibit the same characteristics as those at risk of school failure at the end of the first year of the primary school: to be a boy rather than a girl, to be born in December rather than in January and to live in a family with a low economic status (FNAME, 2012).…”

When the cat is near, the mice won't play: The effect of external examiners in Italian schools

“…On the other hand, Figlio and Winicki (2005) show that during testing periods some schools increase the caloric intake provided by school cafeterias so as to boost students' performance. Attempts to increase test scores by taking psycho-stimulant drugs are documented for the US by Bokhari and Schneider (2011), who show that the diagnosis of "attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder" is more frequent in states where there are stronger accountability laws.…”

Entry in the ADHD Drugs Market: Welfare Impact of Generics and Me-Toos

“…The tightening of school accountability laws over time also contributed to increased diagnosis of ADHD and demand for psychostimulant drugs (Bokhari and Schneider [2011]). Concurrently, several state Medicaid programs 'carved out' their mental health benefits to speciality firms during the 1990's, which also led to an increase in demand for various psychotropic drugs (Ling, Berndt and Frank [2008]).…”