Investigating the Academic Performance and Disciplinary Consequences of School District Internet Access Spending

Abstract

Public school districts not only make strategic investments in internet access as a means to attract and retain students but also communicate the value of these investments with parents as part of their marketing programs. While it helps attract more customers, how does school district internet access spending (SDIAS) affect academic performance and disciplinary problems among students? Using a longitudinal data set that combines SDIAS of 1,243 school districts with academic performance and disciplinary records of more than 9,000 Texas public schools between 2000 and 2014, the authors find that a one-standard-deviation increase in SDIAS (an average increase of $.6 million) is associated with an improvement in eight academic performance indicators, with effect sizes ranging from 2% to 5% of a standard deviation, amounting to a $.8 million to $1.8 million increase in cumulative income for the current students of a school district. Furthermore, a one-standard-deviation increase in SDIAS is associated with a 5% increase in Part II offense–related school disciplinary problems, amounting to a yearly cost of $25,800 to $53,440 for a school district. The positive and negative consequences of SDIAS are more pronounced among schools in regions with a higher level of household internet access.