Journal of Social Science for Policy Implications

Contextual Factors and the Achievement Gap: Does Anyone have the Recipe for Education Equity in the US?
Dr. James P. Concannon, Dr. Linda Aulgur, Dr. John Langton

Abstract
This is a two-part (national and state level) quantitative study focusing on a number of variables such as student attendance, school revenue sources, teacher salary, teacher education level, administration salary, percent of families living in rural poverty, household income, and total expenditures spent per pupil to name a few, and determine how well these variables compare in their ability to predict student ACT scores, state assessment scores, and percent passing on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Interestingly, total expenditures per student did not significantly predict student success as measured by the outcome variables. This result is likely due to that poor school districts receiving a majority of their funds from federal sources have much of the funding earmarked for specific purposes. Teacher education level and student attendance were the best predictors for student success.

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