Graduation Year

2024

Date of Submission

12-2024

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP)

Reader 1

Professor Jessamyn Schaller

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2024 Sophia Kestell

Abstract

This study explores how exposure to high temperatures throughout the school year affects students' academic performance in the United States, focusing on third- and eighth-graders and economically disadvantaged students. This paper uses math and reading assessment data for students from the Standard Education Data Archive (SEDA) and temperature data from the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State. Using a fixed-effects ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model specification, this analysis investigates the relationship between temperature threshold and academic achievement in 333 US counties from 2010 through 2019. Additionally, county air conditioning coverage data are used to explore the relationship between temperatures and reading assessment scores in high versus low air conditioning usage counties.

My study demonstrates a negative relationship between high temperatures and younger children's academic performance. My results reveal that extreme heat often negatively impacts reading assessment scores more than those in math. Overall, economically disadvantaged students tend to be the most affected by high temperatures, which indicates that inequalities in heat exposure may persist, leading to disparities in academic outcomes. My findings contribute to a greater understanding of extreme heat and its effects on human capital accumulation through its impact on education outcomes for younger children. Further research on how students in different regions respond to heat differently is suggested.

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