Classmates' effects on black student achievement in public school classrooms

In this study we use a large, national, random sample of elementary school students to determine the effects that the racial composition of the classroom and the ability of a student's classmates have on a black student's performance on standardized tests for mathematics and reading. A unique feature of the data set permits us to recreate the classroom environment of each student. Based on our estimated results, we simulate the impact of a change in the classroom environment on student performance. The simulations reveal that, on balance, black students do not benefit enough from higher classmate achievement levels to offset the negative effects of a smaller proportion of students of their own racial background.