Measuring the Impacts of Teachers: Reply
American Economic Review
vol. 107,
no. 6, June 2017
(pp. 1685-1717)
Abstract
Rothstein (2017) successfully replicates Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff's (2014a, b)—henceforth, CFR's—results using data from North Carolina, but raises concerns about CFR's methods. We show that Rothstein's methodological critiques are invalid by presenting simulations and supplementary empirical evidence which show that (i) his preferred imputation of missing data generates bias; (ii) his "placebo test" rejects valid research designs; and (iii) his method of controlling for covariates yields inconsistent estimates of teachers' long-term effects. Consistent with the conclusions of Bacher-Hicks, Kane, and Staiger (2016) using data from Los Angeles, we conclude that Rothstein's replication study ultimately reinforces CFR's methods and results.Citation
Chetty, Raj, John N. Friedman, and Jonah E. Rockoff. 2017. "Measuring the Impacts of Teachers: Reply." American Economic Review, 107 (6): 1685-1717. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20170108Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I21 Analysis of Education
- J45 Public Sector Labor Markets