American Economic Journal: Economic Policy · 2026 · A. Brooks Bowden、Viviana Rodriguez、Zach Weingarten
中文摘要
教育被广泛认为是人力资本积累的首要驱动因素。然而,旨在提高受教育程度的政策往往忽视学生的内生反应。本文为放宽学业标准对学生努力与成就的因果影响提供了经验证据。我们发现,学业宽松带来了 GPA 的机械性上升,但能力较低学生的努力程度显著下降,依据是其出勤率更低、数值成绩更差。这些异质性效应相互叠加,在整个高中阶段不断加剧参与度与成就方面的差距,最终使以 ACT 分数衡量的人力资本积累缺口进一步恶化。
Abstract
Education is widely recognized as the primary driver of human capital accumulation. However, policies designed to promote educational attainment often overlook students' endogenous responses. This paper provides empirical evidence of the causal impact of relaxed academic standards on student effort and achievement. We find that academic leniency results in mechanical GPA increases, but significant reductions in effort among lower ability students based on lower attendance and lower numerical grades. These heterogeneous effects compound and exacerbate gaps in engagement and achievement throughout high school, ultimately worsening deficits in human capital accumulation as measured by ACT scores.