This paper reports findings from a randomized evaluation of an intensive tutoring program conducted in underprivileged high schools. Within each school, the intervention targets students identified as having the ability to pursue a college education. The program is designed to strengthen their readiness for higher education. We demonstrate that such an intervention can have negative effects on a large fraction of participants, even though participation is entirely voluntary. This result is consistent with a simple model where time invested in extracurricular programs and time invested in homework represent imperfect substitutes in the education production function.

中文翻译：

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一种令人痛苦的乐趣：精英辅导对贫困高中生的模糊影响。

本文报告了对贫困弱势中学强化辅导计划进行随机评估的结果。在每所学校内，干预措施针对的是被确定为有能力接受大学教育的学生。该计划旨在加强他们的高等教育准备。我们证明，即使参与完全是自愿的，这种干预也会对很大一部分参与者产生负面影响。这个结果与一个简单的模型是一致的，在模型中，在课外计划上投入的时间和在家庭作业上投入的时间代表了教育生产功能的不完善替代品。