We examine whether the use of open educational resources (OER), increasingly used as a reaction to high textbook costs, have a negative effect on performance of students. We analyze student performance data from courses using OER that had previously used commercial textbooks. We find no statistically significant results that OER use reduces student performance or, conversely, that the use of commercial textbooks improves student performance. Our research...

School attendance rates of girls are hypothesized to be negatively affected by menstruation in countries such as Nepal where traditional attitudes and taboo may surround transitions into womanhood. Girls' school experiences during adolescence may be impacted by menstruation and by exclusionary social practices surrounding it in certain world cultures. A goal of our ongoing research is to identify factors, both economic and social, that impact school...