seriously, if you give me results that a new law improved test scores, thats nice and all, but thats public policy. its not economics.
just TRY to prove me wrong.
How is education economics 'economics'?
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Most economists agree with you OP. But nothing will change, because a lot of the people with power in the profession do this kind of research (or other stuff that if we start thinking about what is economics and what is not will be equally left out), and they really don't want to start having to publish in education or public policy journals.
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Well, if economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, then it seems like education economics fits the bill, bub!
If you are talking about the market of provision of education, something like cartel of private schools raising school prices, then I would agree. But the effect of World Cup on school grades has nothing to do with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.
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Much of education economics belongs in education departments.
Most people in education departments don't have the quantitative skills to do program evaluation work. For better or worse, all the quantitative education policy journals are dominated by economists. Usually when they have a bit more complex paper with better data or extra supporting evidence or more complex discussion of mechanisms it goes to a top field or possibly general interest econ journal.
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Much of education economics belongs in education departments.
Most people in education departments don't have the quantitative skills to do program evaluation work. For better or worse, all the quantitative education policy journals are dominated by economists. Usually when they have a bit more complex paper with better data or extra supporting evidence or more complex discussion of mechanisms it goes to a top field or possibly general interest econ journal.
That is not only arrogant, but extremely self-defeating. So now if I believe that physicians are not good at their jobs, that means I should start teaching anatomy at my economics department?