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The Production of Economic Knowledge in Urban and Rural Areas: The Role of Student, Teacher, and School Characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2015

Roger Butters ,
Carlos Asarta  and
Eric Thompson
Roger Butters
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
Carlos Asarta
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
Eric Thompson
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
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Extract

Many states are adopting economic education standards for the K-12 curriculum, mandating economic education courses in rural and urban schools. We examine economic education outcomes for rural and urban students using test scores gathered during a national high school academic competition and by estimating a production function for economic education. We find only limited differences between the education production function in urban and rural settings and lower average scores for rural students. To close this gap, results suggest that rural schools should place economic content in the senior-year curriculum and provide teachers with increased postgraduate training in economics.

Keywords

economic educationruralproduction functionA21R5
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , February 2013 , pp. 1 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2013

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