Trends in U.S. Educational Inequality due to Socioeconomic Status: Evidence From NAEP 2003–2017

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Examining Educational Achievement Gaps With NAEP Data

Abstract

Although it is established that socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with academic achievement, research on the trends in U.S. SES achievement gaps is limited and findings are mixed (Hanushek, 2019; Reardon, 2011). Our paper, therefore, constructed a comparable SES index for NAEP trend analyses, analyzed changes in the SES achievement gap for each state from 2003 to 2017, and investigated whether its disadvantaged students’ performance has improved over time. Our results showed that 27 of the 50 jurisdictions’ gaps experienced no significant change, 21 gaps widened, and 2 gaps narrowed. We then examined changes in macro-level factors, such as economic development, educational expenditures, and income inequality, to further understand different trends in SES achievement gap across states.

Authors

• Yifan Bai, American Institutes for Research

• Markus Broer

• Stephanie Straus, Georgetown University