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Open Access

Educator Incentives and Educational Triage in Rural Primary Schools

Daniel O. Gilligan, Naureen Karachiwalla, Ibrahim Kasirye, Adrienne M. Lucas and Derek Neal
Journal of Human Resources, January 2022, 57 (1) 79-111; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.57.1.1118-9871R2
Daniel O. Gilligan
Daniel O. Gilligan are at International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
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Naureen Karachiwalla
Naureen Karachiwalla are at International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
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Ibrahim Kasirye
Ibrahim Kasirye is at Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC).
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Adrienne M. Lucas
Adrienne M. Lucas is at University of Delaware, J-PAL, CGD, and NBER.
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Derek Neal
Derek Neal is at University of Chicago and NBER.
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Abstract

In low-income countries, primary school student achievement is often far below grade level, and dropout rates remain high. Further, some educators actively encourage weaker students to drop out before reaching the end of primary school to avoid the negative attention that a school receives when its students perform poorly on their national primary leaving exams. We report the results of an experiment in rural Uganda that sought to both promote learning and reduce dropout rates. We offered bonus payments to Grade 6 (P6) teachers that rewarded each teacher for the math performance of each of their students relative to comparable students in other schools. This pay for percentile (PFP) incentive scheme did not improve overall P6 math performance, but it did reduce dropout rates. PFP treatment raised attendance rates a full year after treatment ended, from 0.56 to 0.60. In schools with math books, treatment increased attendance rates from 0.57 to 0.64, and PFP also improved performance on test items covered by P6 books. PFP did not improve any measure of attendance, achievement, or attainment in schools without books.

JEL Classification:
  • I0
  • J3
  • O1
  • Received November 2018.
  • Accepted November 2019.

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://jhr.uwpress.org. Derek Neal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5322-0811

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Journal of Human Resources: 57 (1)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 57, Issue 1
1 Jan 2022
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Educator Incentives and Educational Triage in Rural Primary Schools
Daniel O. Gilligan, Naureen Karachiwalla, Ibrahim Kasirye, Adrienne M. Lucas, Derek Neal
Journal of Human Resources Jan 2022, 57 (1) 79-111; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.57.1.1118-9871R2

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Educator Incentives and Educational Triage in Rural Primary Schools
Daniel O. Gilligan, Naureen Karachiwalla, Ibrahim Kasirye, Adrienne M. Lucas, Derek Neal
Journal of Human Resources Jan 2022, 57 (1) 79-111; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.57.1.1118-9871R2
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Keywords

  • I0
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