Product Quality and Performance in the Internet Age: Evidence from Creationist-Friendly Curriculum

Abstract

Curriculum is at the core of school quality. Curriculum changes often attempt to cater to local preferences while adhering to national standards. This tension often drives a school’s decision to invest in curriculum changes even though little is known about how such changes affect student performance. To examine these interrelated issues of product quality and performance in the education sector, the authors analyze the effect of the 2008 Louisiana Science Education Act on students’ science test performance in nationally administered tests. The law allowed the teaching of creationism as an alternative “theory” to evolution in Louisiana schools. Using detailed data on Louisiana schools, the authors employ a difference-in-differences strategy to document that science test achievement declined after the law was passed, relative to schools in neighboring Texas. The effect of the law was driven by regions with high internet penetration and low parental education levels. After the change in policy, Louisiana students were more likely to seek out information on the internet using search terms that led them to web pages that reinforced a creationist message.