Education Crowdfunding and Student Performance: An Empirical Study
研究了在线教育众筹对学生成绩的正面影响，发现成功筹款后学生成绩显著提升，且本地捐赠者参与越多效果越强；未成功筹款的教师也能改善学生表现，部分归因于非金钱激励。
Despite the growing popularity of online public funding for education (i.e., crowdfunding), controversy persists about whether teachers’ efforts to use this channel are justified and whether donations thus received can actually make a difference in students’ academic performance. We present the first empirical evidence of the positive influence of online education crowdfunding after teachers successfully raise funds. Using data from California public school teachers and their students, as well as the teachers’ fundraising activities on DonorsChoose.org , we find significant academic performance improvements among students after their teachers receive donations through this platform. Such improvements in students’ academic performance are stronger when more local donors participate in teachers’ fundraising campaigns. Notably, teachers who attempt to raise funds online but are unsuccessful are still able to improve their students’ performance. These findings not only document the positive impact of online education crowdfunding on students’ academic performance, but also demonstrate that such impacts are at least partially attributable to the nonfinancial motivational benefits on teachers from receiving such donations. Our study therefore contributes to the literature on crowdfunding, as well as the ongoing debates surrounding the financing of public education.