Providing an Equal Opportunity for Education in High-Poverty Schools: Assessing Needs and Opportunities

• In Event: A State's Journey to Achieve Educational Equity: The Role of Stakeholders, Researchers, and the Courts

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the outcomes and opportunities of students attending high-poverty schools, with a special focus on their access to education as defined by the court ruling. High-poverty schools have less success providing students with a quality education. Many studies have found that a school’s socioeconomic status has an influence on a student’s academic achievement as the child’s individual socioeconomic status. Research also reveals ways to address the challenges faced by high-poverty schools. Both bodies of work frame this study of high-poverty schools as a part of the larger inquiry into the state’s level of success in meeting the requirements of the court rulings.

The study addressed the following questions using a mixed-methods approach:
• How many high-poverty schools are there? Who attends them? Where are they located?
• What are the social, racial, geographic, governance, and economic contexts in which high-poverty schools operate?
• Do high-poverty schools limit students’ opportunity for education?
• Do high-poverty schools provide equal and adequate access to the elements of a quality education identified by the court?
• Do high-poverty schools provide supports that help offset the risks associated with concentrated poverty?
• In what ways do state policies support or constrain high-poverty schools’ provision of opportunities and supports?
• What evidence-based policies or practices might address the particular challenges facing students in high-poverty schools?

The study drew on existing studies and conducted new analyses of state and federal census and education data and from a state-wide survey of principals in the state. The researchers also used data gathered through on-site observations and interviews with teachers, administrators and staff, and parents.
The study found:
1. Large numbers of students attend high-poverty schools, including disproportionate percentages of students of color and students with other risk factors (e.g. LEP).
2. Students attending high-poverty schools have poorer schooling outcomes than students at other schools. The composition of a schools’ student body has a significant impact over and above individual characteristics.
3. The opportunity for a sound basic education is compromised at high-poverty schools by less access to qualified teachers and principals, and educational resources.
4. High-poverty schools lack resources and opportunities that are especially important for promoting positive student outcomes for economically disadvantaged and other students with educational risk factors.
5. Students’ opportunity is limited in high-poverty schools by a lack of supports and services to help mitigate barriers to learning associated with adverse out-of-school conditions.
6. Current state policies including those governing financial resources, the teacher pipeline, supports for children and families, and accountability contribute to many of the barriers facing high-poverty schools.
7. Evidence-based remedies can mitigate the inadequacies in high-poverty schools.

This mixed methods study adds to our knowledge of the combined effects of state, school, and community factors on the inequalities faced by students in high-poverty schools. The study findings address the capacity-building steps needed for the state, counties, districts, and schools to be able to provide an equal opportunity for education in school serving high numbers of economically disadvantaged students.

Author

• Jeannie Oakes, University of California - Los Angeles