New NORRAG Podcast Episode: Can Social Integration in Schools be Mandated? Evidence from the Right to Education Act in India
NORRAG Podcast Episode 10 has just been released! This episode features guest host, Luis Crouch, Senior Economist of RTI’s International Development Group. He interviews Radhika Joshi, Doctor of Economic at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. They discuss Dr. Joshi’s fascinating article: “Can Social Integration in Schools be Mandated? Evidence from the Right to Education Act in India.” The paper was published in the International Journal of Education Development in 2020.
Arushi Terway, NORRAG’s Senior Lead Research Associate, praises Dr. Joshi’s research which shows that, “Social integration of children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in a classroom improves educational outcomes for all children. This finding provides empirical support for the educational outcome equity goal of the highly controversial mandate within the Indian Right to Education Act of 2009 that requires private schools to reserve 25% of the enrollment for children from underprivileged backgrounds.”
In the podcast episode, they breakdown Dr. Joshi’s findings, exploring how mandated social integration affected friendships between students of varying socio-economic backgrounds, outcomes, and test scores. Crouch and Joshi also delve into a conversation about if and how her methodology could be replicated in other contexts.
Listen to the episode on SoundCloud:
This episode also features Dr. Joshi’s original music. If you enjoy her work and would like to listen to more of her songs, check out her YouTube page.
About the NORRAG Podcast: The NORRAG Podcast began in 2019 and features interviews with international experts on global developments in education policies and practice. Click here to subscribe.