Southworth, Stephanie
Researchers: Stephanie Southworth
University Affiliation: Clemson University
Email: southwo@clemson.edu
Research Question:
Effects of school characteristics on NC students' reading and math achievement from 4th through 8th grade.
Published: 0
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: N/A
Journal Entry: N/A
Year: 2008
Findings:
- Racial and socioeconomic composition of schools affect student achievement net of student, family and other school influences.
- As the percent of either minority students or students on free lunch increases in schools, predicted reading and math scores decline. The exception of this pattern is for racially imbalanced White, middle poverty schools, students in the racially imbalanced White middle poverty schools have higher achievement than students in any other school type.
- Although being in classrooms with higher proportions of low-income students affects student achievement, the racial balance of a school has effects independent of the ses composition of a school, even when controlling for student factors and other school characteristics.
- Increasing teacher quality and school resources reduces, but does not eliminate, the effects of school racial and socioeconomic composition on student achievement.
- With the exception of per pupil expenditures, school characteristics affect achievement differently depending on the year being studied.
- Teacher license is the most consistent predictor of students’ math and reading achievement and that the % of inexperienced teachers in a school only had a negative effect on achievement in fourth grade.
- As students progress through school ,gender gaps between White females and males are eliminated and the achievement gap between Hispanic and White students actually reverses when family and school characteristics are controlled. In contrast, the gap between Black and White students actually grows as students progress through school, even after controlling for school and individual characteristics.
- Because Black students are more likely than other racial group to attend high poverty schools and schools with over 75 percent of minority students, schools that have the fewest qualified teachers, and least academic press, they are at a distinct disadvantage in the NC educational system.