Examining factors affecting reading and math growth and achievement gaps in grades 1–5: A cohort-sequential longitudinal approach.

Background An enduring question about achievement gaps is, which aspects of schools contribute most? At the early grade levels, when children spend the vast majority of their school day in a single classroom with a single teacher, school inequities that correlate with achievement gaps likely originate within the classroom. This study examined the degree to which three potential sources of classroom-based inequality contribute to reading and math achievement gaps that develop during first grade, including classroom context, access to a qualified teachers, and access to an effective teacher. The study also estimated the degree to which these effects are manifested among classrooms within the same school and between classrooms at different schools, which has implications for policy and practice. Population A nationally representative sample of first graders from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study was used. An important feature of ECLS data is that students were administered reading and math achievement tests near the beginning and near the end of first grade. This sampling design allows for the estimation of student achievement gains during first grade that does not include the summer period, which has confounded past efforts to study achievement gaps. Research Design Multilevel models were used to estimate classroom-specific and school-specific random effects (i.e., residuals), which are conceptualized as within- and between-school classroom effects. These random effects were then used as outcomes to estimate the degree to which within- and between-school classroom effects contribute to Black–White and Hispanic– White achievement gaps that develop during first grade. Covariates for classroom context, access to a qualified teacher, and access to an effective teacher were entered into the model hierarchically to isolate their effects on the gaps. Conclusions Classroom inequality within and between schools contributed substantially to achievement gaps that developed during first grade. Inequality in contextual aspects of classrooms was the most prominent school-based factor, the majority of which originated from classrooms in different schools rather than classrooms in the same school. However, compared to White children attending the same school, Black children tended to be members of a classroom with more negative contextual characteristics and a less effective teacher. This within-school inequity likely stems from non-random assignment of students to teachers. Finally, Black and Hispanic children were slightly less likely to be taught by a highly qualified teacher. However, that inequity did not significantly contribute to achievement gaps.

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Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

Educational Researcher ◽

10.3102/0013189x11424222 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 40 (8) ◽

pp. 378-389 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Valerie Ooka Pang ◽

Peggy P. Han ◽

Jennifer M. Pang

Keyword(s):

Student Performance ◽

Asian American ◽

Math Achievement ◽

Pacific Islander ◽

Model Minority ◽

Achievement Gaps ◽

Seventh Graders ◽

White Americans ◽

Reading And Math ◽

Significant Achievement

The authors studied more than 1 million Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and White seventh graders in a statewide California testing program between 2003 and 2008, examining their reading and math achievement. AAPI student performance is often reported as an aggregate in discussions of the success of schoolchildren and issues of racial and ethnic achievement gaps. The authors disaggregated the performance of 13 AAPI subgroups and found significant achievement gaps between White Americans and their AAPI peers in reading and math. The data refuted the premise of the model minority myth. The evidence indicated that AAPI students are diverse in their achievements and demonstrate a continuum of academic performance.

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An analysis of student performance in Chicago’s charter schools

Education Policy Analysis Archives ◽

10.14507/epaa.24.2203 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 111

Author(s):

Myron Orfield ◽

Thomas Luce

Keyword(s):

Charter Schools ◽

Student Performance ◽

Strong Support ◽

Pass Rates ◽

Neighborhood Schools ◽

Act Scores ◽

Large Cities ◽

Reading And Math ◽

Second Year ◽

Math Growth

Charter schools have become the cornerstone of school reform in Chicago and in many other large cities. Enrollments in Chicago charters increased by more than ten times between 2000 and 2014 and, with strong support from the current mayor and his administration, the system continues to grow. Indeed, although state law limits charter schools in Chicago to 75 schools, proponents have used a loophole that allows multiple campuses for some charters to bypass the limit and there are now more than 140 individual charter campuses in Chicago. This study uses comprehensive data for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years to show that, after controlling for the mix of students and challenges faced by individual schools, Chicago’s charter schools underperform their traditional counterparts in most measurable ways. Reading and math pass rates, reading and math growth rates, graduation rates, and average ACT scores (in one of the two years) are lower in charters all else equal, than in traditional neighborhood schools. The results for the two years also imply that the gap between charters and traditionals widened in the second year for most of the measures. The findings are strengthened by the fact that self-selection by parents and students into the charter system biases the results in favor of charter schools.

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The Allure of Order: Rationalizing Schools from the Progressives to the Present

The Allure of Order ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199942060.003.0003 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Jal Mehta

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

No Child Left Behind ◽

Achievement Gaps ◽

Education Legislation ◽

8Th Grade ◽

Reading And Math ◽

Federal Education Legislation ◽

September 11 Attacks ◽

Education Act ◽

High Standards

In late 2001, three months after the September 11 attacks, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) passed both House and Senate with strong bipartisan majorities and was signed by a Republican president. Promising to use the power of the state to ensure that all children were proficient in reading and math by 2014, proponents heralded the act as the greatest piece of federal education legislation since the creation of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. By requiring the states to set high standards, pairing them with assessments that measured whether students were achieving those standards, and holding schools accountable if students failed to do so, NCLB, in the eyes of its sponsors, would close achievement gaps and make America’s schools the envy of the world. A decade later, the bloom is off the rose. While almost everyone today continues to share the aim of leaving no child behind, the act itself has come in for criticism from many quarters, to the point that Bush’s former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings declared that NCLB is now a “toxic brand” in American politics. Careful studies of the implementation of NCLB have shown that it has done what less bullish observers might have predicted from the outset. It has increased the focus on the education of poor and minority students, but it has not provided schools with needed tools to create higher quality schooling for these students. There has been improvement in some national test scores (e.g., 4th and 8th grade math), while others have remained largely unchanged (e.g., 4th and 8th grade reading). Even accounting for the progress in math, there is no sign that the reforms have had a significant impact in closing achievement gaps or in improving America’s mediocre international educational standing. Particularly in the most troubled schools, there has been rampant teaching to the test and some outright cheating. In-depth studies have shown that some schools now devote a large part of their year to test prep; Atlanta and DC public schools have both contended with widespread cheating scandals.

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Time-Indexed Effect Size for Educational Research and Evaluation: Reinterpreting Program Effects and Achievement Gaps in K–12 Reading and Math

The Journal of Experimental Education ◽

10.1080/00220973.2017.1409183 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 87 (2) ◽

pp. 193-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jaekyung Lee ◽

Jeremy Finn ◽

Xiaoyan Liu

Keyword(s):

Educational Research ◽

Effect Size ◽

Achievement Gaps ◽

Program Effects ◽

Reading And Math ◽

K 12

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Progress In The Practical Application Of Automated Image Analysis To Tem Negatives

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100078614 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 214-217

Author(s):

F. A. Heckman ◽

E. Redman ◽

J.E. Connolly

Keyword(s):

Image Analysis ◽

Image Quality ◽

Exposure Time ◽

Image Contrast ◽

Automated Image Analysis ◽

Practical Application ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

High Image Quality ◽

Qualitative Evidence ◽

Comprehensive Study

In our initial publication on this subject1) we reported results demonstrating that contrast is the most important factor in producing the high image quality required for reliable image analysis. We also listed the factors which enhance contrast in order of the experimentally determined magnitude of their effect. The two most powerful factors affecting image contrast attainable with sheet film are beam intensity and KV. At that time we had only qualitative evidence for the ranking of enhancing factors. Later we carried out the densitometric measurements which led to the results outlined below.Meaningful evaluations of the cause-effect relationships among the considerable number of variables in preparing EM negatives depend on doing things in a systematic way, varying only one parameter at a time. Unless otherwise noted, we adhered to the following procedure evolved during our comprehensive study:Philips EM-300; 30μ objective aperature; magnification 7000- 12000X, exposure time 1 second, anti-contamination device operating.

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Factors affecting microstructural scale in liquid crystalline polymers

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100174230 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 220-221

Author(s):

Christine M. Dannels ◽

Christopher Viney

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystalline ◽

Liquid Crystalline Polymers ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Crystalline Polymers ◽

Thermal Expansion Coefficients ◽

Low Thermal Expansion ◽

Lower Viscosity ◽

Fine Microstructure ◽

Planar Orientation ◽

Strength And Stiffness

Processing polymers from the liquid crystalline state offers several advantages compared to processing from conventional fluids. These include: better axial strength and stiffness in fibers, better planar orientation in films, lower viscosity during processing, low solidification shrinkage of injection moldings (thermotropic processing), and low thermal expansion coefficients. However, the compressive strength of the solid is disappointing. Previous efforts to improve this property have focussed on synthesizing stiffer molecules. The effect of microstructural scale has been overlooked, even though its relevance to the mechanical and physical properties of more traditional materials is well established. By analogy with the behavior of metals and ceramics, one would expect a fine microstructure (i..e. a high density of orientational defects) to be desirable.Also, because much microstructural detail in liquid crystalline polymers occurs on a scale close to the wavelength of light, light is scattered on passing through these materials.

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