Mathematics Achievement and Learning Climates in Rural Public High Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Approach Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002)

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: Rural Education and Curriculum

Abstract

This paper reports a study of mathematics achievement during the last 2 years of high school, across locations (urban, suburban, and rural). Based on data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), the paper relates high school math achievement to locations and student learning climates, using common statistical methods. The paper compares the math achievement of public high school students across locations. Rural students exhibited math achievement deficits at all levels of high-school math difficulty. Rural students, however, faced the most severe proficiency challenges on advanced topics such as pre-calculus. Based on these findings, the paper urges that college and career transition initiatives for rural students should be focused more on the relatively advanced high school math.

Author

• James R. Bliss, Eastern Kentucky University