PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Javaeria A. Qureshi
AU  - Ben Ost
TI  - The Role of Families in Student Sorting to Teachers
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0717-8953R2
DP  - 2020 Mar 31
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 470--503
VI  - 55
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/55/2/470.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/55/2/470.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2020 Mar 31; 55
AB  - This study leverages sibling identifiers merged to administrative school records to analyze the assignment of elementary students to teachers. We document significant sorting of students to their older sibling’s teachers, and this effect is stronger for relatively advantaged students. By analyzing the circumstances in which students are disproportionately assigned to their older sibling’s teacher, we provide indirect evidence regarding parental preferences for various teacher characteristics. We find stronger sorting to the older sibling’s teacher when that teacher is relatively experienced or has higher value-added. The sorting towards higher value-added teachers is significantly stronger for relatively advantaged students.