Title page
Contents
Abstract 3
1. Introduction 4
2. Institutional Background 9
3. Data 11
4. Empirical Strategy 16
5. Results 19
5.1. Main Results: Effects on Educational Attainment and College Majors 19
5.2. Validity Checks 22
6. Complier Characterization and Heterogeneity 25
6.1. Complier Analysis 25
6.2. Heterogeneity 26
7. Effects on Employment and Earnings 28
8. Robustness 30
9. Conclusion 31
References 35
A. Appendix 54
Table 1. Distribution of High-Quality Computer Science Course-Taking in Analytic Sample 46
Table 2. Summary Statistics 47
Table 3. HQ CS Effects on Educational Attainment 48
Table 4. HQ CS Effects on CS Majors 49
Table 5. HQ CS Course-Taking Effects on Other Majors 50
Table 6. Characterizing Compliers with First-Stage Coefficients 51
Table 7. Heterogeneity Analysis for CS Majors 52
Table 8. HQ CS Effects on Employment and Log Earnings 53
Figure 1: Trends in Maryland High Schools and Districts Offering Computer Science 40
Figure 2. Distribution of Number and Types of HQ CS Courses Taken 41
Figure 3. Trends in Maryland High School Student HQ CS Exposure and Course-Taking 42
Figure 4. Exposure Timeline for School First Offering HQ CS in 2015 43
Figure 5. Event Study Estimates of HQ CS Exposure Impacts on HQ CS Course-Taking and CS Majors 44
Figure 6. Distribution of HQ CS Course Types by Mathematics Quartiles 45
Table A1. Any CS Courses Offered in Maryland High Schools 57
Table A2. Descriptive Statistics on Non-Missing Majors 60
Table A3. Analytic Sample Cohorts and Observed Outcomes 61
Table A4. Sample Restrictions 62
Table A5. Balance Tests Between High Schools Offering and Not Offering HQ CS 63
Table A6. Balance Tests Between Unexposed and Unexpectedly Exposed Students 64
Table A7. Balance Tests Between High Schools that Adopt HQ CS Early and Late 65
Table A8. Balance Tests for Changes in Observable Characteristics 66
Table A9. Distribution of the Number of HQ CS Courses Taken by Subgroup 67
Table A10. Characterizing Compliers with Summary Statistics 68
Table A11. Heterogeneity Analysis of HQ CS Exposure Effects on CS Majors 69
Table A12. HQ CS Effects on Other Earnings Measures 70
Table A13. HQ CS Effects on Log Earnings at Ages 19-22 71
Table A14. HQ CS Effects on Earnings Measures with Imputations 72
Table A15. HQ CS Effects on CS Majors with Different Sample Restrictions 73
Table A16. HQ CS Effects on Out-of-State and Private College Enrollment 74
Figure A1. HQ CS Exposure Impacts on HQ CS Course-Taking and CS Majors with Demographic Controls 54
Figure A2. HQ CS Exposure Impacts on HQ CS Course-Taking and CS Majors Excluding Never-Treated 55
Figure A3. Event Study Estimates of HQ CS Exposure Impacts on Log Earnings 56