Student, Neighborhood, and School Factors and Their Association With College Readiness: Exploring the Implementation of a Race- and Socioeconomic-Based Student Assignment Plan

Abstract

In response to the Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) reconfigured the district’s race-based student assignment and implemented a race- and socioeconomic-based student assignment plan. Using hierarchical linear multiple regression, this study examined students’ backgrounds and school composition factors within a race- and socioeconomic-based assignment plan to determine their relationship with college and career readiness as measured by the ACT. We found that student race, participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), ACT PLAN performance, school composition, and neighborhood category were the largest and most consistent factors for predicting college and career readiness. African American students were at a disadvantage in each model compared with White students. Participation in NSLP was negatively associated with student performance compared with non-NSLP students, and PLAN scores positively predicted ACT performance. School composition was found negatively associated with ACT performance (Title I compared with non–Title I schools), and Category 1 and Category 2 neighborhoods were negatively associated with ACT scores compared with Category 3 neighborhoods. We conclude by discussing implications for policy, practice, and future research.

School Accountability At The Intersection Of Race, Povertyand Teacher Quality

“…Though some evidence of improvement was visible in Mississippi, the frighteningly slow pace of change in the educational landscape prompted researchers to examine existing educational data with a critical lens focused on the intersection of school accountability ratings, race, poverty, and teacher licensure type. Examining this issue at the intersection of multiple factors is consistent with similar research studies in the field of education (Herberger, Immekus, & Ingle, 2020;Wiseman, 2020). Additionally, this approach is consistent with what is being done in scholarship on educational equity and policy with a focus on high poverty schools and teacher quality (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2010;Clotfelter, Ladd, Vigdor, & Wheeler, 2006;Kawasaki, Quartz, & Martinez, 2020;Orfield, Ee, & Coughlan, 2017).…”

Operationalizing the Intersection of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity in Predicting School-Level Academic Achievement

“…Although some literature exists on the efficacy of the DI to structure within-school socioeconomic/racial diversity compared with a simulation of neighborhood —2017), no literature could be found on the relationship between the DI and academic outcomes, although Herberger et al (2019) used SECC values (used in the construction of the DI) to control for student neighborhood characteristics while investigating factors related to college readiness indicators.…”

“…A vast body of literature has demonstrated that characteristics such as family income, the level of parent education attainment, race/ethnicity, and other sociopolitical factors contribute to differential expectations of all manner of life outcomes, from risk factors for diseases to expected lifetime earnings, depression, even one’s longevity (Adler & Rehkopf, 2008; Adler & Snibbe, 2003; Hummer & Hernandez, 2013; Kessler & Cleary, 1980; Mather et al, 2014; Matthews et al, 2010; McLeod & Kessler, 1990; Rostron et al, 2010). A growing body of literature on the relationship between the concentrations of students in poverty and academic achievement has shown that the effects of concentrated poverty can extend beyond the effects of an individual’s SES (Banks, 2001; Caldas & Bankston, 1997; Herberger et al, 2019; Schwartz, 2010; Vanderhaar et al, 2006). Moreover, due to the history of racial oppression in America, students of color are more likely to be born into lower socioeconomic strata (Massey & Denton, 1993; Rothstein, 2017; Wilson, 1987) and are more likely to attend schools with higher concentrations of students living in poverty (Frankenberg et al, 2010; Orfield & Lee, 2005; Orfield & Yun, 1999).…”