RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Reducing Parent–School Information Gaps and Improving Education Outcomes
JF Journal of Human Resources
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1284
OP 1322
DO 10.3368/jhr.1121-11992R2
VO 60
IS 4
A1 Berlinski, Samuel
A1 Busso, Matias
A1 Dinkelman, Taryn
A1 Martínez A., Claudia
YR 2025
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/60/4/1284.abstract
AB We conducted an experiment in low-income urban schools in Chile to test the effects and behavioral changes triggered by a program that sends attendance, grade, and classroom behavior information to parents via weekly and monthly text messages. Our 18-month intervention raised average math scores by 0.09 of a standard deviation and increased the share of students satisfying attendance requirements for grade promotion by 4.7 percentage points. Treatment effects were larger for students at higher risk of later grade retention and dropout. Our results demonstrate that communicating existing school information to parents frequently can shrink parent–school information gaps and improve school outcomes in a light-touch, scalable, and cost-effective way.