Early schooling could lead to better labor market outcomes

Photo by Megan Soule on Unsplash

Education is the key to success, or so the old adage says. But the measures for success or how we define it may not be the same across the board. Though it is true that education improves our quality of life in the long run, we have to consider that there are numerous factors involved in determining a person’s success in life. However, there might be some evidence suggesting that children who enter primary school earlier than their peers could have better labor market outcomes.

In a recent study, researchers Daniel Duque from the Institute of Economics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Pedro Cavalcante from the Department of Economics at the Federal Fluminense University found that an additional year of schooling could positively impact the probability of attaining a college degree and getting higher wages once those children enter the labor force.

Brazil has implemented a policy that allows children to enter primary school one year earlier for those who were born before March 31, the usual enrollment date. Children are required to attend school when they hit the age of six but with this policy, schools can admit children who are up to one year younger than the obligatory age as long as their birthdate falls before the March 31 threshold. This means that these children will receive an extra year of schooling.

The researchers wanted to measure the effects that this school entry rule has on children’s future educational attainments as well as employment opportunities. They conducted a survey on people between ages 16 and 34 who lived in state capitals or urban areas when they turned 15. From this survey, they gathered the respondents’ date of birth, educational attainment, and current employment situation.

After analyzing the data using regression discontinuity, they found that these individuals who started schooling before the mandatory age were 9% more likely to receive a college degree while those who lived in urban areas were 9.6% more likely. Results also showed that people who received more education earned 25.8% higher than their peers.

There are limitations on this research and we should probably be wary about the numbers being presented as well. As I mentioned, there are several factors that could affect an individual’s ability for success, which in this case is measured by wage level and educational attainment. Though it is possible that people who went through more years in school might have received more training and instruction, this does not determine the level of their knowledge, skill, productivity, or potential.

Furthermore, there have been other studies which argue that children who enter school one year later, as opposed to one year earlier, have better aptitude scores than their counterparts. One can only surmise that this might be due to being slightly more developed than their peers but there might be other reasons as well. Further research on the subject would be necessary.

As it stands, there is no doubt that receiving proper instruction and rigorous training would help individuals gain the necessary skills and knowledge they would need to be more productive in the work force. This, however, does not solely determine one’s ability to earn or to become successful in their career or life in general. An individual’s connections, opportunities, circumstances, level of effort exerted in their endeavors, and tenacity can also affect one’s success.

(Note: The study did not consider the federal law amending the obligatory age from six years old to four.)

By Jeremiah