Rotten apples: An investigation of the prevalence and predictors of teacher cheating

被引:410
作者
Jacob, BA [1 ]
Levitt, SD
机构
[1] Harvard Univ, John F Kennedy Sch Govt, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
[2] Univ Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
D O I
10.1162/00335530360698441
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
We develop an algorithm for detecting teacher cheating that combines information on unexpected test score fluctuations and suspicious patterns of answers for students in a classroom. Using data from the Chicago public schools, we estimate that serious cases of teacher or administrator cheating on standardized tests occur in a minimum of 4-5 percent of elementary school classrooms annually. The observed frequency of cheating appears to respond strongly to relatively minor changes in incentives. Our results highlight the fact that high-powered incentive systems, especially those with bright line rules, may induce unexpected behavioral distortions such as cheating. Statistical analysis, however, may provide a means of detecting illicit acts, despite the best attempts of perpetrators to keep them clandestine.
引用
收藏
页码:843 / 877
页数:35
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