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Abstract:
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This is the first paper to our knowledge that examines the effects of high school exit exam requirements on non-academic youth outcomes. Most exit exam research to date has focused on educational outcomes such as student motivation, shifts in curricula and teaching strategies, or effects on graduation rates. While research within the education context is critical, it is also important to consider whether mandatory exit exam policies have behavioral effects in other domains. Given that the school context is so prominent during adolescence and that problems in school can manifest themselves behaviorally, exit exams may have unintended consequences for delinquency and problem behavior. The current study investigates a potential link between exit exams and adolescent delinquency using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, a nationally representative dataset of adolescent attitudes and experiences. Regression analyses indicate that exit exams are associated with slightly lower rates of specific delinquent behaviors (namely marijuana use and theft) but appear to be unrelated to others (property crimes, assault, and marijuana distribution). Overall rates of self-reported marijuana use and theft were one to three percent lower in exit exam states. Black youth and males two subgroups with typically higher rates of offending actually experienced the largest gains from exit exam effects. |