The Path to College Education: The Role of Math and Verbal Skills
利用英格兰学生从小学到大学的纵向数据，研究发现数学与语言技能的形成机制不同，且语言技能对大学入学的影响远大于数学技能，这有助于解释大学入学中的性别差距。
This paper studies the formation of math and verbal skills during compulsory education and their impact on educational attainment. Using longitudinal data that follow students in England from elementary school to university, we find that the production functions of math and verbal skills are inherently different, where cross effects are present only in the production of math skills. Results on long-term educational outcomes indicate that verbal skills play a substantially greater role in explaining university enrollment than math skills. This finding, combined with the large female advantage in verbal skills, has key implications for gender gaps in college enrollment.