Differential Effects of School Socioeconomic Status on STEM College Readiness and Mediators of Those Effects

• In Event: Educational Research With Diverse National and International Data Sets

Abstract

Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study, we explore differential effects of school SES on STEM college readiness (SCR) in 12th grade. We use quantile regression to compare the effects of school SES at five points on the SCR distribution and examine the degree to which student and school factors mediate those effects. Robust differential effects were found that follow a quadratic function, peaking in the low quantiles of SCR and accelerating downward as SCR increases. This indicates school SES is a more potent effect on students low on SCR. They are most strongly mediated by academic background and peer influences, but also by school inputs and practices. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are considered.

Authors

• Gregory J. Palardy, University of California - Riverside

• Xinyao Zheng, University of California - Riverside