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Author: Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Anderson, Patricia M.
Butcher, Kristin F.
Cascio, Elizabeth Ulrich
Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore
Is Being in School Better? The Impact of School on Children's BMI When Starting Age is Endogenous
Journal of Health Economics 3,5 (September 2011): 977-986.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167629611000725#sec3
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Age at School Entry; Body Mass Index (BMI); Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-B, ECLS-K); Elementary School Students; Obesity; Schooling; Weight

In this paper, we investigate the impact of attending school on body weight and obesity using a regression-discontinuity design. As is the case with academic outcomes, school exposure is related to unobserved determinants of weight outcomes because some families choose to have their child start school late (or early). If one does not account for this endogeneity, it appears that an additional year of school exposure results in a greater BMI and a higher probability of being overweight or obese. When we compare the weight outcomes of similar age children with one versus two years of school exposure due to regulations on school starting age, the significant positive effects disappear, and most point estimates become negative, but insignificant. However, additional school exposure appears to improve weight outcomes of children for whom the transition to elementary school represents a more dramatic change in environment (those who spent less time in childcare prior to kindergarten).

[Note: The estimation sample in this article is drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K). The authors also estimated their models using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Mother–Child matched file]

Bibliography Citation
Anderson, Patricia M., Kristin F. Butcher, Elizabeth Ulrich Cascio and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. "Is Being in School Better? The Impact of School on Children's BMI When Starting Age is Endogenous." Journal of Health Economics 3,5 (September 2011): 977-986.
2. Bauer, Lauren
Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore
The Long-Term Impact of the Head Start Program
Economic Analysis, The Hamilton Project, Brookings Institution, August 19, 2016.
Also: http://www.hamiltonproject.org/papers/the_long_term_impacts_of_head_start
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Brookings Institution
Keyword(s): Children, Behavioral Development; Educational Attainment; Head Start; High School Completion/Graduates; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Parenting Skills/Styles; Preschool Children; Siblings

In this Economic Analysis, we investigate the impact of Head Start on a new set of long-term outcomes, extending landmark analyses further into adulthood and considering the effect of Head Start on participants' children.
Bibliography Citation
Bauer, Lauren and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. "The Long-Term Impact of the Head Start Program." Economic Analysis, The Hamilton Project, Brookings Institution, August 19, 2016.