ABSTRACT

School choice allows families to choose schools that are more suited to their children. These choices may affect non-academic outcomes, including students’ mental health. We empirically examine the relationship between school choice and mental health using two methods. First, we use difference-in-differences to estimate the effects of state voucher and charter school laws on adolescent suicide rates. States adopting charter school laws witness declines in adolescent suicides, whereas private school voucher laws are generally not associated with statistically significant changes in suicides. Second, we use survey data to estimate the effects of private schooling on adult mental health. Controlling for a post-baseline measure of mental health and a variety of individual characteristics, the estimates suggest that private schooling reduces the likelihood that individuals report having mental health issues as adults.

摘要

选择学校可使家庭选择更适合其子女的学校。这些选择可能会影响非学术成果，包括学生的心理健康。我们使用两种方法对学校选择与心理健康之间的关系进行实证研究。首先，我们使用差异来估计州教育券和特许学校法律对青少年自杀率的影响。通过特许学校法的国家见证了青少年自杀率的下降，而私立学校代金券法律通常与自杀率在统计上的重大变化无关。其次，我们使用调查数据来估计私立学校对成人心理健康的影响。控制基线后的心理健康状况和各种个人特征，