The Effects of Racial and Economic Isolation on Achievement in Michigan School Districts

• In Event: Roundtable Session 57
  In Roundtable Session: Influences and Outcomes: Examining Equity and Trends in Measurements of Student Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to model the relationship between economic disadvantage, race and academic achievement across Local Education Agency (LEA) school districts in Michigan, with a focus on disentangling the impacts of African-American student concentration and poverty concentration. Using a series of hierarchical linear regressions, the relationship between district percent proficiency, percent African-American students and economic disadvantage was found to demonstrate both: 1.) a quadratic effect (a negatively accelerating relationship between ED and proficiency) and 2.) an interaction effect (increased ED has a greater effect on proficiency/performance as the percentage of African-American students increases). Policy implications could involve an attempt by the state to coordinate strategies or to organize resources at a high level to address between-district gaps.

Author

• Shannon Alexis Stackhouse Flores, Michigan Department of Education