Why does height matter for educational Attainment? Evidence from German pre-teen children

Several studies have shown that body height is positively associated with educational attainment. In this paper, we investigate the mechanisms behind this relationship using data on German pre-teen students. We show that (i) taller children are more likely to enroll in 'Gymnasium', the most academic secondary school track, and that (ii) primary school teachers give better recommendations to taller students. This holds even when controlling for academic achievement and parental background. In addition, we present some evidence that height and social skills are positively associated already at age 2-3. Our results imply that controlling for social skills would significantly reduce estimates of the height-school premium. With respect to education policy, our findings suggest that early school tracking might increase disadvantages for students with low social skills.

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Year of publication:	2010
Authors:	Cinnirella, Francesco ; Piopiunik, Marc ; Winter, Joachim
Publisher:	Munich : Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESifo)
Subject:	Bildungsniveau \| Bildungsabschluss \| Gesundheit \| Soziale Kompetenz \| Allgemeinbildende Schule \| Schüler \| Deutschland \| height \| educational tracking \| educational attainment \| social skills

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Series:	CESifo working paper Economics of Education ; 2983
Type of publication:	Book / Working Paper
Type of publication (narrower categories):	Working Paper
Language:	English
Other identifiers:	622408534 [GVK] hdl:10419/38900 [Handle]
Classification:	I21 - Analysis of Education ; I28 - Government Policy ; J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
Source:	EconStor