Factors of Educational Effectiveness: Lessons From Highly Performing Hispanic Secondary Schools

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: The Impact of School-Level Factors on Students

Abstract

By 2050 Latinos will represent 25% of the U.S. population (Leidy, Guerra, & Toro, 2012). However, Latino students continue to have decreased access to higher-level mathematics, a key factor in educational attainment. This mixed-methods case-study dissertation tested the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness (DMEE) (Kyriakides & Creemers, 2008) in two high performing Hispanic secondary schools and compared school-wide factors to the High Performing Hispanic Student framework (Reyes, Scribner, and Paredes-Scribner, 1999). Utilizing factorial analysis, correlations, interviews, observations, and 212 student-survey responses, it was revealed that the factors that correlated to math achievement were: aptitude, language and environment peer relationships. While a combination of multiple factors have impact on student achievement, language is more influential in mathematics than previously thought.

Author

• Paula Madrigal-Patel, Sweetwater Union District