Three essays on resources in education - Deep Blue

THREE ESSAYS ON RESOURCES IN EDUCATION

by Alexandra M. Resch

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Public Policy and Economics) in The University of Michigan 2008

Doctoral Committee: Professor Rebecca M. Blank, Chair Professor Paul N. Courant Professor John E. DiNardo Professor Brian A. Jacob Professor Jeffrey A. Smith

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Alexandra M. Resch 2008 All Rights Reserved

to my grandfather, Hugh K. Livesay, in appreciation for his many lessons on the limitless value of education

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost I would like to thank my dissertation committee -- Becky Blank, Paul Courant, John DiNardo, Brian Jacob, and Jeff Smith. Their mentorship and incredibly constructive criticism and advice have improved this research greatly.

I would also like to thank the members of the informal working group that helped clarify my research goals and provided countless hours of advice, support, and entertainment over the years -- Soren Anderson, Brian Cadena, Ben Keys, Brian Kovak and Jim Sallee. I hope we have many working lunches ahead of us, even if they're long distance.

Many other people contributed to the essays in this dissertation. Beth Brooks, Gloria Hancock, Nancy Resch, Peggy Smith, Yut'se Thomas, and Don White contributed data and institutional details that made the two essays on the Abbott reforms in New Jersey possible. In addition to my committee and working group, Sheldon Danziger, Lucas Davis, Jim Hines and many seminar participants contributed helpful comments and critiques.

The third essay is coauthored with Jim Sallee and Paul Courant; this paper would not have been possible without them. We thank Soren Anderson, John Bound, Brian Cadena, Jim Hines, Ben Keys, Mike McPherson, Michael Rothschild, Jeff Smith, Sarah Turner and seminar participants at the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan for their comments and critiques. We also thank Caroline Hoxby and two anonymous referees for excellent comments.

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Finally, I'd like to thank all the people who helped make grad school, and especially this last year, a lot more pleasant. The National Poverty Center has given me a happy home on campus for the last four years and I look forward to continuing the friendships I made there. For their constant support and timely distractions, I thank Emily Gustafsson-Wright, Sarah Marsh and Robin Phinney. I thank Regina Benson, Jaime Llewellyn and Karen Munday for still being my friends even though I never have time to call. I thank Zingerman's for feeding me this last year when I haven't had time to cook. Most of all I want to thank my parents, Peter and Nancy, and sister, Ingrid, for their unfailing support and encouragement, and the occasional Zingerman's gift cards.

I would also like to acknowledge generous financial support from the National Science Foundation, Rackham Graduate School, and the Spencer Foundation.

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