Research
Job Market Paper
The Long-Term Effects of Universal Free School Meal Policies: Evidence from the Community Eligibility Provision
School meal policies in the United States are at a crossroads: half of public K–12 schools provide universal free meals to all students, regardless of income, while the other half offer free and reduced-price (FRP) meals based on income eligibility. Do universal policies improve student outcomes compared to targeted policies for low-income children? I evaluate the short- and long-term effects of universal free school meal policies using linked administrative data from Texas. I exploit the staggered rollout of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal policy that allows high-poverty schools to offer meals free to all students. I find that CEP increases meal take-up by 6.2 percentage points, or 20 additional meals per student per year (a 10 percent increase). Higher-income students previously ineligible for FRP are more responsive to CEP than low-income students already eligible under FRP. Despite the increase in take-up, I detect no improvements in academic, behavioral, or economic outcomes, either overall or across subgroups, in the short or long run. Applying the marginal value of public funds framework, I show that the costs of CEP exceed its benefits, suggesting limited efficiency gains from universal provision relative to targeted support.
Work in Progress
Effects of SNAP Work Requirements
(with Hyewon Kim and Pauline Leung)
Draft forthcoming pending Census Bureau disclosure review
In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of work requirements as a screening device in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the main food assistance program in the United States. “Able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDs) are subject to work requirements, but during the Great Recession these rules were broadly suspended and later reinstated at different times across counties and states throughout the 2010s. Using linked SNAP and LEHD administrative data from eight states, we exploit the age-50 eligibility cutoff and county-level waiver reinstatements in difference-in-differences and triple-differences designs. We find that reinstating work requirements reduces SNAP participation and benefits among ABAWDs. We do not find robust evidence that such requirements increase labor supply. Moreover, our results suggest that work requirements disproportionately screen out low-income individuals, suggesting worse program targeting.
Disclaimer: This research was performed at a Federal Statistical Research Data Center under FSRDC Project Number 3049. (CBDRB-FY26-P3049-R12788)
The Effect of High School Magnet Programs on Academic and Racial Segregation
(with Katharine Sadowski)
Approved Texas Education Research Center project
We examine how magnet programs affect student, classroom, school, and residential outcomes using linked administrative data from Texas. Exploiting variation in the timing and location of magnet program openings, we estimate their impacts on student achievement and college enrollment among students attending their zoned schools. We also investigate changes in academic and racial segregation across classrooms within schools, across schools within districts, and across census tracts within school attendance zones. This research informs discussions about how and where to expand magnet programs to promote racially diverse and academically thriving student bodies.
Work Requirements in SNAP and Postsecondary Enrollment
(with Meredith Welch)