Bogyung Kim

I study whether an older sibling's eligibility for Georgia’s HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships affects younger siblings' college enrollment. Using administrative data from a Metro Atlanta school district and regression discontinuity designs at each GPA threshold, I find that an older sibling’s HOPE eligibility raises younger siblings' enrollment by 4.6 percentage points overall and by 16 percentage points in low-income households, with large gains at four-year colleges. Zell Miller eligibility, by contrast, leaves overall enrollment unchanged and shifts younger siblings toward part-time enrollment. Accounting for sibling spillovers roughly doubles the social return to HOPE relative to estimates based on recipients alone.

This paper examines whether Georgia's HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships affect college enrollment, persistence, and degree attainment. I link student-level administrative records from a public school district in the Metro Atlanta area to National Student Clearinghouse data and use GPA thresholds in a regression discontinuity design. HOPE eligibility increases college enrollment, persistence, and in-state degree attainment, with enrollment gains concentrated among low-income students. Zell Miller eligibility shifts students toward Georgia institutions without enrollment gains and raises STEM degree attainment. HOPE generates fiscal returns by increasing human capital among financially constrained students and improving retention of high-achieving students within the state.

In-school gun violence disrupts the broader learning environment, potentially undermining schools’ ability to retain teachers. How do school shootings affect teacher retention and mobility? Using longitudinal teacher employment records from North Carolina and school-shooting data from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, I employ a difference-in-differences and event-study design comparing shooting-exposed schools with matched non-exposed schools. Teacher retention declines by 4 percentage points following a shooting, with teacher mobility increasing two years afterward and remaining elevated for up to seven years. These effects are concentrated in shootings involving deaths or injuries. The findings highlight the persistent costs of school shootings for the teacher workforce and suggest that school safety is an important component of policies addressing teacher shortages.

Chronic absenteeism has risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic, yet evidence on effective interventions remains limited. We evaluate the Attendance Recovery Bus Pilot, implemented in spring 2025 at two Fulton County elementary schools. The program notified families of morning absences and provided a mid-morning bus to bring absent students to school. Using a difference-in-differences design that compares fall-to-spring changes in average daily attendance with nearby elementary schools, we find that the bus targeted students with high pre-pilot absenteeism and was associated with greater math achievement growth among moderate riders. Schoolwide attendance, however, did not rise significantly relative to comparison schools. Targeted transportation support may benefit frequently absent students, but reducing chronic absenteeism schoolwide likely requires broader strategies.

This study examines the effect of state-mandated full-day kindergarten (FDK) expansion on child maltreatment using the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect child file, State Inpatient Databases hospital discharge data, and National Vital Statistics System mortality records. Leveraging the staggered rollout of FDK adoption across states with difference-in-differences methods, we find that FDK led to an increase of 3.5 physical abuse reports per 1,000 children, approximately 36% relative to the baseline mean. The absence of an effect on the share of substantiated physical abuse and fatalities suggests that FDK primarily improves maltreatment detection rather than increasing its underlying incidence. Supporting this interpretation, educator-filed physical abuse reports rise by approximately 30%, reflecting enhanced detection capacity among teachers and school staff, and potentially replacing reports from other professions. Furthermore, the observed increases in reports from parents and neighbors suggest that FDK may foster stronger community awareness and social support networks. Overall, this research provides new evidence on the broader benefits of early childhood education, particularly its role in strengthening child safety environments.

Student mobility in Georgia is high and has risen in recent years, yet most studies measure either how often students move or when they move, not both. We examine how midyear and nonstructural summer moves relate to test scores, attendance, disciplinary incidents, and high school graduation in Georgia. Statewide administrative records from GA•AWARDS follow more than 400,000 students in three cohorts of 9th graders (2016–17 to 2018–19) from kindergarten through 2021–22. For annual outcomes, we estimate student fixed-effects models that compare each student’s outcomes before and after a move. For graduation, we estimate logistic regressions with a full set of student controls. We also test for heterogeneity by move type, timing, and student subgroup.