Research

The reliability of classroom observations and student surveys in non-research settings: Evidence from Argentina

with A. Ho & A. Campos Quintero

Both instruments can achieve relatively high reliability when averaged across raters and occasions, though observation reliability varies significantly based on how raters are assigned to teachers.

Leveraging complementarities between teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical supports: Experimental evidence from India

with I. Mbiti & A. Mishra

Fellows with strong content knowledge but minimal experience, when paired with training and coaching, substantially outperformed regular teachers in student math and science outcomes.

Does civic education impact primary-school students' civic outcomes? Experimental evidence from Liberia

with S. Acris, E. King & K. Marple-Cantrell

The program improved factual civic knowledge substantially, particularly for lower-performing and rural students, but did not translate into increased civic engagement.

How can developing countries address heterogeneity in students' preparation for school? A review of the challenge and potential solutions

with S. Djaker

This review explores why schools struggle to accommodate diverse student preparation levels and proposes a conceptual framework for understanding systemic barriers to addressing this challenge.

Featured in: Brookings Institution, BOLD

The challenges of scaling up effective child-rearing practices using technology in developing settings: Experimental evidence from India

with I. Arteaga & A. de Barros

Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2025

An automated parenting intervention showed disappointing results, reducing caregiver self-efficacy and increasing anxiety without improving child development outcomes.

Featured in: VoxDev

Children's arithmetic skills do not transfer between applied and academic mathematics

with A. V. Banerjee, S. Bhattacharjee, R. Chattopadhyay, E. Duflo, K. Rajah & E. S. Spelke

Nature, 2025

Working children in India demonstrated sophisticated market calculations but struggled with equivalent abstract school-format problems, revealing a significant transfer gap.

Featured in: The Hechinger Report, Economic Times, The Indian Express, India Today, Nature, MIT News, The Hindu, Scroll.in, ScienceDaily, Phys.org

Out of sight, out of mind? The gap between students' test performance and teachers' estimations in India and Bangladesh

with S. Djaker & S. Sabarwal

Economics of Education Review, 2024

Teachers systematically misestimate student performance, particularly tending to overestimate lower-achieving students while underestimating class variability.

The impact of combining performance-management tools and training with diagnostic feedback in public schools: Experimental evidence from Argentina

with R. de Hoyos, S. Djaker & P. A. Holland

Economics of Education Review, 2024

Pairing performance management tools with training reduced grade repetition, while feedback alone showed minimal effects on student achievement outcomes.

Augmenting state capacity for child development: Experimental evidence from India

with K. Muralidharan & C. R. Walters

Journal of Political Economy, 2024

Adding staffing to India's early childhood program nearly doubled instructional time and produced meaningful gains in math and language test scores.

Measuring and predicting teachers' commitment to implementing evidence-based programs

with T. Cramer, E. Cappella & P. Morris

Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2023

Teachers' belief that programs benefit children emerged as the strongest predictor of implementation fidelity across social-emotional learning interventions.

Can positive school climate ameliorate racial-ethnic disparities in pre-kindergarten quality? Evidence from a large urban school district

with J. Siegel & E. Cappella

Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2023

School climate moderated disparities in classroom organization and emotional support but not in instructional quality across racial-ethnic student groups.

Which students benefit from computer-based individualized instruction? Experimental evidence from public schools in India

with A. de Barros

Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2023

Computer-adaptive learning software proved most beneficial for low-performing students while showing negligible average effects on overall achievement.

The foundational math skills of Indian children

with A. de Barros

Economics of Education Review, 2023

Foundational skills assessment revealed that only 27% of students mastered typically unassessed skills despite 52% mastering frequently tested concepts.

Which students benefit from independent practice? Experimental evidence from a math software in private schools in India

with A. de Barros & A. Venkatachalam

Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2021

Additional practice exercises benefited only low-performing students, suggesting targeted rather than universal implementation strategies.

The role of teachers' commitment to implement in delivering evidence-based social-emotional learning programs

with T. Cramer, P. Morris & E. Cappella

Journal of School Psychology, 2021

Teacher commitment to implementation consistently predicted fidelity across time and independently explained variation beyond other individual or contextual factors.

Teaching with the test: Experimental evidence on diagnostic feedback and capacity-building for public schools in Argentina

with R. de Hoyos & P. A. Holland

The World Bank Economic Review, 2021

Providing assessment results to schools improved achievement in both math and reading, with gains persisting a year after intervention conclusion.

Featured in: World Bank Development Impact

Can principal training improve school management? Short-term experimental evidence from Argentina

with S. H. Freel

Papeles de la Economia Espanola, 2021

Despite high participant satisfaction, the training program showed no short-term impacts on school facilities, climate, or student achievement outcomes.

Growth mindset interventions at scale: Experimental evidence from Argentina

A. Ganimian

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2020

A scaled growth-mindset intervention produced no detectable effects on students' task approach, school climate, achievement, or future plans.

Featured in: Scientific American, VoxDev, Learning and the Brain, American Educator

Hard cash and soft skills: Experimental evidence on combining scholarships and mentoring in Argentina

with F. Barrera-Osorio, M. L. Biehl & M. A. Cortelezzi

Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2020

Scholarships paired with mentoring improved academic behaviors initially but did not produce sustained gains in achievement, mindsets, or learning strategies.

Disrupting education? Experimental evidence on technology-aided instruction in India

with K. Muralidharan & A. Singh

American Economic Review, 2019

Technology-enabled personalized instruction generated substantial math and Hindi gains, particularly benefiting academically weaker students at low cost.

Featured in: The Economist, Education Next, Education Next Podcast, VoxDev, World Bank Development Impact, Financial Express, Hindustan Times

More than words: Expressed and revealed preferences of top college graduates entering teaching in Argentina

with M. Alfonso & A. Santiago

Comparative Education Review, 2017

Information about working conditions reduced stated teaching intentions but not actual program dropout, suggesting possible prominence effects in preference expression.

The barking dog that bites: Test score volatility and school rankings in Punjab, Pakistan

with F. Barrera-Osorio

International Journal of Educational Development, 2016

School rankings based on test averages fluctuate substantially from measurement error, cohort variation, and one-time shocks beyond institutional control.

Improving educational outcomes in developing countries: Lessons from rigorous evaluations

with R. J. Murnane

Review of Educational Research, 2016

Synthesis of 223 evaluations identified that cost reduction expands access, information shapes parental choices, resource quality matters more than quantity, and targeted incentives boost performance.

Why do some school-based management reforms survive while others are reversed? The cases of Honduras and Guatemala

A. Ganimian

International Journal of Educational Development, 2016

Reform scope and national investment levels determine reform vulnerability to reversal through political changes, union opposition, or parental pressure.