Research

Working Papers

Abstract: Using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), this paper investigates the effects of ethnic minority peers on students' cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, highlighting the role of teachers in this process. Leveraging the random assignment of students to different classes, I find that a higher proportion of ethnic minority peers significantly lowers test scores, self-assessment scores, and persistence levels of both majority and minority students, while it improves students' mental health. Evidence of self-sorting shows that both majority and minority students tend to form in-group friendships and perceive a decline in the classroom environment as the proportion of ethnic minority peers increases. Teacher behavior, assessed through feedback, attitude, effort, and teaching style, indicates that in classrooms with a higher proportion of ethnic minority students, teachers exhibit less patience and provide less feedback. These findings underscore the crucial role of teachers in promoting integration within increasingly diverse schools.

Abstract: In the U.S., children's college education has become more independent of parents' income transfers among all ethnic and income groups. Accounting for the new dynamics, we construct a two-period discrete choice model to investigate the decision-making of college attendance using the NLSY97 data. The model features higher education not being a tool of income transfer for the parents, but an independent decision made by the children to maximize their life-time utility. In an economy that all students borrow for higher education, we still find significant disparities in college access and school quality between students from the lower and the upper income levels. The inequality is largely attributed to the differences in the quality of pre-college education. Universally lowering the base price of tuition amplifies the inequality in college enrollment and school quality. The key approach to close the gap between students from low- and high-income families is to provide education of higher quality to disadvantaged children during earlier years.

Work in Progress