Research on variables that are related to student academic proficiency has intensified due to the increased emphasis on high achievement for all students. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relative strength of the relationship between the school's learning environment and student achievement, and a literacy benchmark assessment and student achievement. Schools in the state of Utah that administered the Indicators of School Quality (ISQ) survey during the 2010-2011 school year and the Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessments during the same school year were included in the study. The study examined a combination of measures to determine the extent to which an assessment of literacy skills and stakeholder reports regarding the school's learning environment predicted student learning. Results from the ISQ descriptive study showed that students' perceptions of the school climate were more favorable in all domains (parent support, teacher excellence, student commitment, school leadership, instructional quality, resource management domain, and school safety) than the perceptions of parents and teachers. ISQ scores were correlated with the DIBELS results to determine the predictive power of the ISQ and the DIBELS for the Utah Criterion-referenced Test (CRT), the end-of-level, summative assessment used to determine progress toward Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The relationship between literacy skills and academic achievement was statistically significant at the p > .05 level. However, the strongest relationship was between the conditions for learning, a component of the school's learning environment, and academic achievement. This relationship was statistically significant and robust, remaining strong even when the influence of social and economic risk and literacy skills were statistically controlled. These findings suggest the importance of considering the school's learning environment, and possibly other factors, in the instruction and school improvement process.

In recent years, the responsibility for the desegregation of American public schools has transitioned from federal court mandates to school board programs and policies. There is widespread belief that this has resulted in the resegregation of schools across the country. One popular policy that is purported to provide the opportunity for voluntary integration, along with accountability for academic quality, is school choice. The purpose of this study was to consider the implications of such a policy in one large school district. There is an extensive body of research exploring who participates in school choice, how they make their choices, and why they choose the schools their children attend. In contrast, this study was designed to investigate the actual choices made by parents and the impact of those choices on the elementary schools in the district. This quantitative descriptive study examined the racial and socioeconomic composition of students in one district’s elementary schools during the 2009-2010 school year, and explored the extent to which the student populations in these schools would differ if all students had attended their attendance area schools, rather than participating in the district’s voluntary choice plan. The actual 2009-2010 demographics were compared to “counterfactual” demographics for each school. The researcher generated the counterfactual data by removing the students who chose to attend the school and adding back the students who chose to exit the school. These actual and counterfactual demographics for each school were used to compare dissimilarity indices calculated for the district’s elementary schools as they actually were, and as they theoretically would have been without the school choice program. Additionally, the quality of the schools parents chose was investigated. The results showed that, in this district, the school choice plan did not impact the level of integration in the elementary schools. The schools were moderately segregated with the school choice plan in place, but were also moderately segregated based on the counterfactual demographics that represented the district without school choice. Most parents (60%) chose high quality schools, as identified by the state’s accountability plan. However, parents who chose low achieving schools were disproportionately black and poor. Further research is warranted to determine if the mechanics of the school choice plan could be manipulated to improve the level of integration in the district, and to better understand the decisions made by some parents to send their children to low performing schools.

The purpose of this dissertation is to elucidate the democratic nature of American public schools in terms of democratic principles of freedom, equality, and equity through historical, sociological, conceptual, and educational examinations. Chapter 2 explores, through a salient and recurring phenomenon of segregation, how the democratic-capitalistic matrix of American public schools has been constructed in terms of both meritocratic and egalitarian policies. To scrutinize the substantive nature of democratic-capitalistic society, in Chapter 3, social theories proposed by Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, and Freud are examined in terms of the nature of human existence in the democratic-capitalistic society and then, its mode of existence is analyzed in light of the metaphors, the Möbius strip and the Klein bottle. The object of Chapter 4 is to clarify the conceptual and substantive relationship between freedom and equality based on equity as balance point. In Chapter 5, educational issues concerning the nature of democratic existence are dealt with in terms of educational quality, while clarifying the paradoxical nature of democratic-educational conceptions of excellence and knowledge in the public school system. Further, a reconsideration of the Brown decision in Chapter 6 helps penetrate how democratic existence can be substantialized in American public schools under the capitalistic-democratic society, confirming a new version of educational paradigm. / text

Achievement and school involvement of children in middle schools in 5th and 6th grades are compared to those of same-grade peers in elementary schools. Both classroom quality and school structure (size and composition) are tested as mediators in a national longitudinal sample of about 900 youth. The results indicate: a) youth in middle schools achieve at least as well as their same-grade peers in elementary schools, but those in middle schools have lower school attachment; b) middle and elementary schools have equivalent classroom quality, but differ in size and student composition; c) the lower school involvement of 6th grade middle school students is attributable to school size; d) the results are similar for boys and girls. / text

[pt] Esse artigo examine se eleitores reagem a informação sobre a qualidade dos serviços públicos. Exploramos um experimento natural no Brasil, no qual divulgou-se uma medida objetiva de qualidade para algumas escolas públicas, mas não outras. Isso cria variação na quantidade de informação disponível dentro de um município. Para explorar essa variação, olhamos para locais de votação localizados em escolas municipais e comparamos resultados eleitorais em eleições municipais em grupos de eleitores informados e não informados, antes e depois da divulgação de informação. Os resultados indicam que, quando os eleitores recebem boas notícias, o apoio pelo incumbente aumenta. Para as escolas com pior desempenho em nossa amostra, divulgar informação sobre qualidade das escolas leva a uma redução na proporção de votos recebida pelo prefeito incumbente concorrendo a reeleição. Esses efeitos são maiores em municípios com menor cobertura de mídia local. Não há heterogeneidades interessantes com relação a escolaridade dos eleitores. / [en] This paper examines if voters act upon information about the quality of public service delivery. We explore a natural experiment in Brazil, which provided an objective measure of quality for some public schools, but not others. This creates variation in the availability of information to voters about the quality of schools inside a municipality. To use this variation, we look at polling stations located in municipal schools and compare electoral outcomes in mayoral elections in informed and non-informed groups of voters, before and after the information release. We find that, when the information received by voters is good news, the support for the incumbent increases. For the worst performers in our sample, providing information about school quality implies a decrease in the vote-share of the incumbent. We find that these effects are stronger in municipalities without local radios and/or newspapers. We do not find relevant heterogeneities when decomposing our effects according to schooling.

Thesis advisor: Zhushan Li / Educational public private partnerships (PPP), referring to the shared delivery of education services by the government and private providers, have been increasing in recent decades, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Yet to date, there has been limited research on their role in the education landscape, in part due to the difficulty of classifying PPP schools in large-scale datasets, which typically classify schools as either public or private. In addition, few studies have assessed PPPs and school quality assurance indicators typically associated with them.  The study had two purposes. First, to explore the possibility of classifying PPP schools in a large-scale dataset using a statistical method. And second, to use these classifications to examine the differences between PPP, public, and private schools on school quality assurance measures, including but not limited to achievement. These analyses were performed using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), with schools from six of the global emerging economy countries: Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey.  Schools were classified using a two-step clustering method using funding and management variables. This revealed three good-quality clusters with a silhouette measure of cohesion and separation of 0.6 (IBM, 2015b; Wendler & Gröttrup, 2016). These were classified as public, private, and PPP based on the characteristics of each school type. With these classifications, the study assessed the relationship between school type and achievement in mathematics, science and reading, and 24 school quality assurance measures from PISA. The analyses controlled for school resources and socio-economic and cultural status. The study found that overall, PPP schools performed better than public schools on three indicators, and better than private schools on five indicators; public schools performed better than PPP schools on one outcome and better than private schools on three outcomes, although with mostly small effect sizes. Private schools did not outperform other school types on any outcome. A country wise analysis showed that these results differed by country. The study highlights the possibility of using two-step clustering to identify PPP schools, the effects of shared funding and management on school performance, and the importance of context in examining countries’ education policies. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

Education policies tend to target failing schools that are often located in disadvantaged communities. However, the use of high-stakes testing to identify and punish failing schools has become increasingly controversial. An overemphasis on test scores to determine school quality has led to unintended consequences and overshadows other valuable school-based resources that parents feel meaningfully contribute to students' academic experiences. To better understand how low-SES parents describe their children's low performing schools, I interviewed 92 families in an under-served community. Through these interviews I illuminate the school-based resources that contribute to school quality. In fact, these additional elements were often more important signifiers of school quality for low-SES parents than were test scores.

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The study analyzed variation among low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) allocation policies as outlined in state qualified action plans (QAP) and their impacts on the siting patterns of LIHTC properties in proximity to high performing schools. The study was performed nationwide across 37 states and controlled for factors relevant to the development location decision using census-based population characteristics and LIHTC property attributes. The purpose was to determine the effectiveness of LIHTC QAP allocation policies in motivating developers to site their developments near high-performing schools. QAPs typically use points when awarding tax credits competitively, and this study focused on points awarded for (1) access to high quality schools, (2) access to any schools, and (3) location in areas with attributes expected to correlate strongly with high quality schools. Multi-level linear modeling estimated that points for access to any schools had a significant and positive effect on location in a high performing school's catchment area, but other allocation policy variables had no significant effects. The findings inform readers about the ability of current allocation policy to influence developer actions, and discussion centers on policy recommendations and the need for further research. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning / Attendance at a high-performing school is critically important in determining short-term academic performance and long-term life outcomes in children. School choice remains limited, especially for lower-income households, and this suggests that housing policy can help children access neighborhoods and quality schools that promote their long-term success. Therefore, supporting the development of affordable housing near quality schools is an imperative social policy goal. This analysis focuses on housing policy to address the issue of a mismatch between low income students and high quality schools. The low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program is the largest federal program for the production and preservation of affordable housing and its centrality to the geography of affordable multi-family housing in the country cannot be overstated. As shown in this and other research, LIHTC units are consistently placed in areas with access to under performing schools and a need exists for changes in state LIHTC policy. The study analyzed variation among LIHTC allocation policies as outlined in state qualified action plans (QAP) and their impacts on the siting patterns of LIHTC properties in proximity to high performing schools. This study has highlighted deficiencies in state QAPs, and changes in their allocation systems are warranted to improve LIHTC residents local school quality. The findings inform readers about the ability of current allocation policy to influence developer actions, and discussion centers on policy recommendations and the need for further research.

Embora muito se tenha discutido o processo de municipalização da educação básica no Brasil, a oferta de educação dentro dos limites municipais foi pouco analisada pela literatura até o momento. No caso dessa política, é importante considerar padrões e estratégias municipais de oferta, já que eles dependem, em grande parte, das decisões tomadas pelos governos locais. Quando as condições de oferta de políticas públicas no espaço são distintas, os indivíduos terão oportunidades diferentes de acesso aos serviços, de acordo com a região em que residem (SELLERS, 2016). Este estudo representa um esforço em contribuir para a análise de padrões de oferta intramunicipal de educação, adotando uma abordagem espacial. Pretende-se avaliar se a autonomia decisória e de alocação de recursos dos governos municipais equaliza a qualidade das escolas em todo o território ou se favorece regiões específicas dos munícipios. Para realizar essa análise, os setores censitários dos municípios da Região Metropolitana de Recife foram classificados em níveis de vulnerabilidade, com base nas dimensões renda, escolaridade, raça, gênero e idade. Essa classificação resultou em cinco grupos de setores censitários, variando da altíssima até a baixa vulnerabilidade, e também em uma divisão dos municípios entre homogêneos, nos casos em que apresentam alta concentração de população vulnerável, e heterogêneos nos casos de grandes disparidades entre os níveis de vulnerabilidade da população residente. Para analisar a qualidade das escolas municipais, os indicadores utilizados foram o estoque de equipamentos como: quadra de esportes, laboratório de ciências e informática, biblioteca, internet, berçário e parque infantil. Já a qualidade do corpo docente foi examinada com base na proporção de professores com ensino superior por escola. Os resultados da análise apontam para alguns padrões: a) a oferta de equipamentos para educação infantil (berçário e parque infantil) é baixíssima nos municípios homogêneos e um pouco mais alta nos municípios heterogêneos; b) a oferta de equipamentos em escolas de ensino fundamental é mais concentrada nos municípios heterogêneos e, especificamente, nos grupos de setores com baixa vulnerabilidade; c) nos municípios homogêneos, a oferta de equipamentos para o ensino fundamental se concentra em espaços de média e baixa vulnerabilidade; d) os níveis gerais de oferta para todos os equipamentos analisados são baixos e dificilmente contemplam mais que 50% das escolas de um município, e, por fim, e) a proporção de docentes com ensino superior é maior nas escolas localizadas em áreas de menor vulnerabilidade nos municípios. A desigualdade de oferta intramunicipal de escolas de qualidade, seja por limitações financeiras ou técnicas dos municípios, prejudica os alunos ao longo de sua formação, e, muito provavelmente, as suas perspectivas futuras. / Although the municipalization of basic education in Brazil has been much discussed by the specialized literature, its provision within the municipal boundaries was little explored by researchers so far. Regarding this policy, it is important to consider municipal patterns and strategies of provision, since they depend on the decisions made by local governments. When the provision of public policies is distinct spatially, individuals will have different opportunities to access services, based on their region of residence (SELLERS, 2016). This study aims to analyze intramunicipal patterns of education provision, based on a spatial approach. It evaluates whether the local government decision-making autonomy helps equalizing schools quality throughout the municipal territory or if it favors specific regions and groups. In order to carry out this analysis, all the census tracts on the Metropolitan Region of Recife were classified into levels of vulnerability, based on its population income, schooling, race, gender and age. This classification resulted in five groups of census tracts, varying from very high to low levels of vulnerability, and also in a division of municipalities between homogeneous, in cases which they have a high concentration of vulnerable population, and heterogeneous - in cases of large disparities among the resident population. The existence of equipments such as: sports court, science and computer lab, library, internet, nursery and playground were used as indicators of municipal schools quality. Furthermore, the quality of the teaching staff was examined based on the proportion of teachers with higher education per school. The results revealed some patterns: a) the existence of early education equipments (nursery and playground) is very low in homogeneous municipalities and slightly higher in heterogeneous municipalities; b) the presence of equipments for primary schools is concentrated in the heterogeneous municipalities and, specifically, in those census tracts with high proportions of individuals in advantageous positions; c) in the homogeneous municipalities, the presence of complementary equipment for primary education is concentrated in spaces of medium and low vulnerability; d) the levels of provision for all equipments analyzed in this study are low and hardly cover more than 50% of schools within the municipalities, and e) the proportion of teachers with higher education is more elevated in schools located in areas of lower vulnerability within municipalities. The unequal provision of good schools, whether due to financial or technical limitations of municipalities, punishes and affects students throughout their education, and, most likely, in their future prospects.