Student achievement and schooling choice in low-income countries: evidence from Ghana

Presents new evidence on the impact of school characteristics on student achievement using an unusually rich data set from Ghana. Two potentially important selectivity issues are dealt with: the sorting of higher ability children into better schools, and the high incidence of both delayed school enrollment and early leaving. The empirical results do not reveal any strong selectivity bias. Also highlights the indirect effects of improving school quality on student achievmenet through increased grade attainment. A cost-benefit analysis, taking into account these indirect effects, shows that repairing classrooms (a policy option ignored in most education production function studies) is a cost-effective investment in Ghana, relative to providing more instructional materials and improving teacher quality. -from Authors