TY  - JOUR
AU  - Dobbie,Will
AU  - Fryer,Roland G., Jr
TI  - The Impact of Youth Service on Future Outcomes: Evidence from Teach For America
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 17402
PY  - 2011
Y2  - September 2011
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w17402
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w17402.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Will Dobbie
Education Innovation Laboratory
Harvard University
44 Brattle Street, 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
E-Mail: dobbie@fas.harvard.edu

Roland G. Fryer, Jr
Department of Economics
Harvard University
Littauer Center 208
Cambridge, MA  02138
Tel: 617/495-9592
Fax: 617/495-8570
E-Mail: rfryer@fas.harvard.edu
AB  - Nearly one million American youth have participated in service programs such as Peace Corps and Teach For America. This paper provides the first causal estimate of the impact of service programs on those who serve, using data from a web-based survey of former Teach For America applicants. We estimate the effect of voluntary youth service using a sharp discontinuity in the Teach For America application process. Participating in Teach For America increases racial tolerance, makes individuals more optimistic about the life chances of poor children, and makes them more likely to work in education. We argue that these facts are broadly consistent with the “Contact Hypothesis,” which states that, under appropriate conditions, interpersonal contact can reduce prejudice.
ER  -