There is growing evidence that early life conditions are important for outcomes during adolescence, including cognitive development and education. Economic conditions at the time children enter school are also important. We examine these relationships for young adolescents living in a low-income drought-prone pastoral setting in Kenya using historical rainfall patterns captured by remote sensing as exogenous shocks. Past rainfall shocks measured as deviations from local long-term averages have substantial negative effects on the cognitive development and educational achievement of girls. Results for the effects of rainfall shocks on grades attained, available for both girls and boys, support that finding. Consideration of additional outcomes suggests the effects of rainfall shocks on education are due to multiple underlying mechanisms including persistent effects on the health of children and the wealth of their households, underscoring the potential value of contemporaneous program and policy responses to such shocks.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚干旱多发地区青少年的降雨冲击、认知发展和教育成就

越来越多的证据表明，早期生活条件对青春期的结果很重要，包括认知发展和教育。儿童入学时的经济条件也很重要。我们使用遥感捕获的历史降雨模式作为外源冲击，研究生活在肯尼亚低收入干旱易发牧区的青少年的这些关系。过去的降雨冲击测量为与当地长期平均值的偏差，对女孩的认知发展和教育成就有很大的负面影响。降雨冲击对所达到的成绩的影响的结果，适用于女孩和男孩，支持这一发现。