metadata: authors: 0: author: Piza,Caio
1: author: Zwager,Astrid Maria Theresia
2: author: Ruzzante,Matteo
3: author: Santos Dantas,Rafael
4: author: Loureiro,Andre
count: Brazil
docna: 0: docna: Supporting Teacher Autonomy to Improve
            Education Outcomes : Experimental Evidence from Brazil
docty: Policy Research Working Paper
subtopic: Educational Sciences,Educational Institutions & Facilities,Effective Schools and Teachers,Secondary Education,Gender and Development
teratopic: Education,Gender
abstracts: cdata!: What is the impact of greater teacher
            autonomy on student learning? This paper provides
            experimental evidence from a program in Brazil. The program
            supported teachers, through a combination of technical
            assistance and a small grant, to autonomously develop and
            implement an innovative project aimed at engaging their
            students. The findings show that the program improved
            student learning by 0.15 standard deviation and grade
            passing by 13 percent in sixth grade, a critical year of
            transition from primary to lower-secondary education. The
            paper explores two mechanisms: teacher turnover and student
            socio-emotional skills. Teacher turnover is reduced by 20.7
            percent, and the impacts on student outcomes are
            concentrated in the schools with the largest reductions. The
            findings also indicate positive impacts on conscientiousness
            and extroversion among the students. The results suggest
            that increasing the autonomy of public servants can improve
            service delivery, even in a low-capacity context.
geo_reg_key: 119228,517191
repnme: repnme: Supporting Teacher Autonomy to Improve
            Education Outcomes : Experimental Evidence from Brazil
display_title: Supporting Teacher Autonomy to
            Improve Education Outcomes : Experimental Evidence from Brazil
listing_relative_url: /research/2020/08/32367063/supporting-teacher-autonomy-improve-education-outcomes-experimental-evidence-brazil
topicv3: Teachers Management m1326119 1523,Education, Skills Development and Labor
            Market m1326135 1484,Education m1327048 470,Secondary Education m1327058 481,Gender m1327621 615
publishtoextweb_dt: 2020-08-31T00:00:00Z
historic_topic: Education,Gender
origu: DIME Econ Transformation &Growth (DIME1)
no_of_pages: 2
author_keys: 0: author_key: 1239892
1: author_key: 1149699
2: author_key: 1599917
3: author_key: 931897
4: author_key: 1209935
model_extractions: Policy Research Working Paper 9371

# Supporting Teacher Autonomy to Improve Education Outcomes

Experimental Evidence from Brazil _Caio Piza Astrid Zwager Matteo Ruzzante Rafael Dantas Andre Loureiro_ Development Economics Development Impact Evaluation Group August 2020 A verified reproducibility package for this paper is available at http://reproducibility.worldbank.org, click **here** for direct access.
Policy Research Working Paper 9371

# **Abstract**

What is the impact of greater teacher autonomy on student learning? This paper provides experimental evidence from a program in Brazil. The program supported teachers, through a combination of technical assistance and a small grant, to autonomously develop and implement an innovative project aimed at engaging their students. The findings show that the program improved student learning by 0.15 standard deviation and grade passing by 13 percent in sixth grade, a critical year of transition from primary to lower-secondary education. The paper explores two mechanisms: teacher turnover and student socio-emotional skills. Teacher turnover is reduced by 20.7 percent, and the impacts on student outcomes are concentrated in the schools with the largest reductions. The findings also indicate positive impacts on conscientiousness and extroversion among the students. The results suggest that increasing the autonomy of public servants can improve service delivery, even in a low-capacity context.

This paper is a product of the Development Impact Evaluation Group, Development Economics. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The authors may be contacted at caiopiza@worldbank.org. A verified reproducibility package for this paper is available at http:// reproducibility.worldbank.org, click **here** for direct access.

_The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent._ Produced by the Research Support Team