Who Benefits from Remote Schooling? Self-Selection and Match Effects

The authors study the distributional effects of remote learning. The researchers approach combines newly collected data on parental preferences with administrative data from Los Angeles. The preference data allow the authors to account for selection into remote learning while also studying selection patterns and treatment effect heterogeneity. The findings show a negative average effect of remote learning on reading (–0.14σ) and math (–0.17σ). Notably, the authors find evidence of positive learning effects for children whose parents have the strongest demand for remote learning. The results suggest an important subset of students who currently sort into post-pandemic remote learning benefit from expanded choice.