TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Goulas, Sofoklis
AU  - Griselda, Silvia
AU  - Megalokonomou, Rigissa
        TI  - Compulsory Class Attendance versus Autonomy
        PY  - 2021/Jul/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 14559
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp14559
        AB  - Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education requires a solid grasp of the impact of student autonomy on learning. In this paper, we estimate the effect of an increased autonomy policy for higher-performing students on short- and longer-term school outcomes. We exploit an institutional setting with high demand for autonomy in randomly formed classrooms. Identification comes from a natural experiment that allowed higher-achieving students to miss 30 percent more classes without penalty. Using a difference-in-difference-in-differences approach, we find that allowing higher-achieving students to skip class more often improves their performance in high-stakes subjects and increases their university admission outcomes. Higher-achieving students in more academically diverse classrooms exerted more autonomy when allowed to.
        KW  - COVID-19
KW  - learning autonomy
KW  - school attendance
KW  - returns to education
KW  - natural experiment
        ER  -