Mixing versus sorting in schooling Evidence from the equalization policy in South Korea

• Published in: Economics of education review Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 697 - 711
• Main Authors: Kim, Taejong, Lee, Ju-ho, Lee, Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier India Pvt Ltd 01.12.2008; Elsevier
• Series: Economics of Education Review
• Subjects: Ability Grouping; Academic Achievement; Bildungschance; Bildungspolitik; Educational Policy; Equal Education; Foreign Countries; Heterogeneous Grouping; High School Students; High Schools; Mixing; Peer effect; Policy Analysis; Program Effectiveness; Public education; Public education Sorting Mixing Peer effect South Korea; Regression (Statistics); Schule; Sorting; South Korea; Südkorea; Theorie; Track System (Education); South Korea; Mixing; South Korea; Public education; I0; I2; Peer effect; H4; Sorting
• ISSN: 0272-7757; 1873-7382
• DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2006.07.014

This paper employs the difference-in-differences empirical strategy and quantile regressions to analyze the effects of sorting and mixing on the academic performance of high school students in South Korea. In Korea, about half of high schools are subject to the equalization policy (EP), and must therefore passively accept students randomly assigned to them. On the other hand, about half of high schools are in non-EP areas, so students are sorted among schools based on students’ ability levels. Two main results emerge from this study. First, sorting raises test scores of students outside the EP areas by roughly 0.3 standard deviations, relative to mixing. Second, more surprisingly, quantile regression results reveal that sorting helps students above the median in the ability distribution, and does no harm to those below the median.