Dynamic Impacts of School-Based Internet Access on Student Learning: Evidence from Peruvian Public Primary Schools

Abstract

We investigate the impacts of school-based internet access on second graders’ test scores, using over 2 million student observations from a panel of Peruvian public primary schools. We identify effects up to 6+ years after installation on different cohorts of second-grade students, exploiting variation in the timing of internet access induced by the rollout of a national program. We find positive but modest short-run impacts, but importantly, these effects grow for subsequent cohorts. Indeed, short-run estimates alone would have led to different conclusions. These dynamics underscore the value of extended evaluation windows to allow benefits of educational technology to materialize. (JEL I21, I26, I28, O15)