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Performance inequality in high school: evidence on youth and adult education

Abstract

This research analyzes the differences in academic performance between students of Youth and Adult Education (EJA) and regular education in the National High School Examination (ENEM) in Brazil. In order to isolate the effects of EJA from other factors that may affect the students' academic results, the Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) algorithm was combined with the Propensity Score Matching method and applied to microdata from ENEM and the School Census of 2018. The results show the superiority of the regular education system in the production of knowledge compared to EJA teaching, proving to be more efficient in enhancing important cognitive skills for professional qualification and ensuring continuity of investment in human capital.

Keywords:
academic performance; regular education; youth and adult education

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