characteristics of each program, outcome variables evaluated, or the specific scores analyzed. Like ours, most of the papers exploit quasi-experimental approaches although few rely simultaneously on propensity score matching and on differences-in-differences methods.

Our report contributes to this literature on extension of the school day in several ways. First, _Mais Educação_ is a flagship program in Brazil, but to our knowledge, only one nationwide rigorous evaluation has been made of its impact on educational outcomes (Mendes 2011).<sup>19</sup> Our report differs from Mendes (2011) because we exploit a longer period (2007–11), allowing us to analyze the program impacts in the medium term, using a differences-in-differences matching estimator to compare schools that take up the program with schools that did not take up the program, before and up to three years after implementation. This methodology allows us to better account for the possible endogeneity of the “treatment” variable and its correlation with school unobserved characteristics. Moreover, we have more detailed information about the program (such as spending per student, percentage of students in each school participating in the program, and type of extra activities chosen by each school), so we also add to the literature by conducting a detailed investigation regarding the impacts’ variation according to a range of characteristics and nuances of the program implementation. Also, because of the greater richness of our data set, the present study was able to verify the hypothesis stated in Mendes (2011) that part of the reason for the lower observed mathematics achievements following program implementation were driven by the lower dropout rates. In this analysis, we find that this is not the case because dropout rates are not affected on average.

# **3. The Federal Program** **_Mais Educação_**

_Mais Educação_ is a federal initiative to promote full-time schooling among Brazilian public schools. The program promotes the extension of the school day to at least seven hours a day.<sup>20</sup> The average daily duration of school day in Brazilian public schools has been 4.5 hours,<sup>21</sup> and so the extension of the school day promoted by _Mais Educação_ represents an increase of more than 50 percent in instructional time. The ultimate goal of the program is to improve schooling outcomes among public schools, reducing evasion and dropout rates, and improving learning.<sup>22</sup> _Mais Educação_ promotes the extension of the school day through financial support to schools, enabling them to implement extra activities during the extended time.

> 19 To our knowledge, other existing rigorous evaluations only look to state results of _Mais Educação._

> 20 Seven hours a day is the minimum period considered full-time education by the federal government.

> 21 We calculate average duration of school day using the 2007 School Census.

> 22 Additional goals of _Mais Educação_ are to provide educational services for students with special educational needs, prevent and combat violence against children and teenagers, promote cultural diversity in public schools, encourage human development, citizenship, and solidarity through sports and other leisure activities, and create a closer bond between families/communities and schools.

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