Research

Last updated: September 30, 2024

JOB MARKET PAPER
“The Effect of the Minimum Wage on Childcare Firms” (approved Federal Statistical Research Data Center project)

Abstract:

Childcare is essential for working families, yet it remains increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible for parents and offers poverty-level wages to many employees. While research suggests minimum wage policies may improve the welfare of low-wage workers, there is also evidence they may increase firm exits, especially among smaller, low-profit firms, which could reduce access and harm consumer well-being (Brown & Herbst, 2023; Dube et al., 2016; Luca & Luca, 2019). This study examines this potential trade-off in the context of the childcare industry, where strict staffing regulations may result in different minimum wage policy effects than in previously studied industries. Using variation stemming from state-level minimum wage increases between 1995 and 2019, I implement a border-discontinuity design to measure the potential impact on the stocks, flows, and composition of childcare establishments. I find that while aggregate establishment stocks remained stable, establishment-level turnover increased and employment decreased. Despite this, county-level employment stayed constant. I reconcile these findings by showing minimum wage increases led to compositional changes as larger establishments in the waged sector were more likely to enter and less likely to exit than smaller firms. Finally, I show the minimum wage may negatively affect the self-employed sector resulting in fewer owners with advanced degrees and more with only high school education. My findings suggest minimum wage increases change the composition of firms in the waged and self-employed sectors which could impact quality and access.

WORKING PAPERS
“Does Access to an Algorithmic Decision-making Tool Change Child Protective Service Caseworkers’ Investigation Decisions?” (Revise and Re-submit at JHR; with Maria Fitzpatrick and Chris Wildeman)

Abstract:

Over 40% of children experience maltreatment before adulthood, leading to negative outcomes and social costs. Child protection processes are complicated, biased, and prone to reporting errors, in part because the system is overloaded and underfunded. These factors suggest that algorithmic decision-making tools could improve efficiency of decision-making and outcomes in child welfare by supporting human decisions. In a randomized trial, we found that these tools can make investigation decisions more efficient without significantly affecting child outcomes, though COVID-related disruptions limited outcome analysis. The efficiency gains in the process could free up valuable time for staff to work directly with families.

“Asthma Management in Schools: A Tool for Reducing Absenteeism?” (with Maria Fitzpatrick, Chelsea Chen, Sophia Day, Kevin Konty, and Kira Argenio)

Abstract:

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among children, afflicting around 10 percent of school-aged children in the U.S. and responsible for a significant portion of days children are absent from school. Since school attendance has been linked to graduation rates and other measures of school success, limiting absences could improve children’s long-run outcomes. In this study, we examine a program in which asthma case managers are assigned to NYC schools to support better management of the disease by working with students and their families. We use novel data on health and education outcomes for all public-school children and a triple-differences identification strategy motivated by the rollout of the program across schools over time, as well as by the fact that children with asthma were targeted for support. We find that the program greatly increased the probability children with asthma had a prescription for asthma, greatly improved asthma management within the school setting and decreased student absenteeism among children who ever had asthma by 7 percent.

WORKS IN PROGRESS
“The Effect of High School Magnet Programs on Academic and Racial Segregation” (approved Texas ERC project)

“Educational equality in online versus residential degree programs” (with Rene Kizilcec)

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Bassok, D., Markowitz, A., Bellows, L., & Sadowski, K. (2021). New Evidence on Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 42(4). READ ME

Boguslav, A., Cohen, J., Katz V., Sadowski, K., Wiseman, E., Wyckoff, J. (2023). Core Requirements, Structured Flexibility, and Local Judgment: Balancing Adherence and Adaptation in the Design and Implementation of District-Wide Professional Development. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. READ ME

Kizilcec, R.F., Makridis, C.A., Sadowski, K. (2021). Pandemic Response Policies’ Democratizing Effects on Online Learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 188(11). READ ME

Markowitz, A., Sadowski, K., & Hamre, B. (2021). Teacher Education and the Quality of Teacher-Child Interactions: New Evidence from the Universe of Publicly-Funded Early Childhood Programs in Louisiana. Early Education and Development, 1-19. READ ME

OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Miller, L.C. & Sadowski, K. (October, 2017). Students Changing Schools During the School Year: Student Mobility in Virginia and the Challenged School Divisions. Charlottesville, VA: USA.

Miller, L.C., Sadowski, K., Piver-Renna, J. (2019). The Fifth Indicator: Does School Climate Provide New Information on School Quality? Charlottesville, VA: USA.