experiments that are “unblinded” are
considered dubious. For a cogent
critique of STAR, see Eric Hanushek,
“Some Findings from an Independent
Investigation of the Tennessee STAR
Experiment and from Other
Investigations of Class Size Effects,”
Educational Evaluation and Policy
Analysis 21, no. 2 (summer 1999): 143–
- A “natural experiment” of the sort
that Hoxby did is much more valuable.
For what Hoxby found, see Caroline
Hoxby, “The Effects of Class Size on
Student Achievement: New Evidence
from Population Variation,” Quarterly
Journal of Economics 115, no. 4
(November 2000): 1239–85. For more