The Impact of Priority School Designation in New York State: A Regression Discontinuity Study

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Division L Section 5 Poster Session

Abstract

The lowest performing 5% of Title I schools in New York State are designated priority schools. Priority schools must show improvement within three years of priority designation or face potential closure resulting from revocation of the school's registration. This study examines the whether priority schools in New York State improved over two school year. Supports given to priority schools in New York include grant money and the development of a comprehensive school improvement plan based on federal school turnaround principals. By the end of the 2013-2014 school year – the second year of three – I find priority schools have not shown improvement and are actually performing worse than schools just above the average performance index priority school cutoff.

Author

• Drew Atchison, The George Washington University