| dc.description.abstract |
A student’s decision to drop out of high school has repercussions for the individual
and society. Broadband availability, which has become ubiquitous in the US since
the late 1990s, can dramatically affect a student’s willingness to attend school.
This study attempts to understand how broadband availability affects a student’s disengagement
from school, which may lead to dropping out. I use data from two sources: the American
Community Survey (ACS) regarding school enrollment and educational attainment on an
individual level, and Federal Communication Commission (FCC) information on broadband
availability. By using an application of difference-in-difference (DID) modeling and
fixed effects, I compare trends in dropout behavior between areas that received full
service by 2000 and those that acquired it in later years. The introduction of broadband
correlates positively with an individual’s dropout choice. However, there are threats
to causal interpretation.
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