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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

How (And Why) Nclb Failed To Close The Achievement Gap:Evidence From North Carolina, 1998-2004, Roslyn Mickelson, Jason Giersch, Elizabeth Stearns, Stephanie Moller Nov 2013

How (And Why) Nclb Failed To Close The Achievement Gap:Evidence From North Carolina, 1998-2004, Roslyn Mickelson, Jason Giersch, Elizabeth Stearns, Stephanie Moller

The Bridge: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Legal & Social Policy

Recent state and national policy changes for public education are premised upon the idea that high-stakes tests can improve student outcomes and close achievement gaps. Opponents maintain that such policies fail on both counts. Using a unique longitudinal dataset from North Carolina, we find that high-stakes tests have failed to close achievement gaps associated with social class and race, and that the persistence of these gaps is related, at least in part, to academic tracking. Such findings add to the questions being raised about such policies as No Child Left Behind.


Educational Achievement Among Asian Children: Ethnic Differences In First Grade Math And Reading Scores, Lesley Yang Apr 2013

Educational Achievement Among Asian Children: Ethnic Differences In First Grade Math And Reading Scores, Lesley Yang

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The burgeoning Asian population in the U.S. makes it imperative to understand the factors influencing their educational attainment. The pan-ethnic category of “Asian American” overgeneralizes about diverse populations and has led to a monolithic view of Asians as high achieving students with little need for educational services. The model minority myth may be masking the drastic variation in educational attainment among ethnic Asian groups. This study uses data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) to: (1) examine whether there are significant achievement gaps between different Asian ethnic groups in first grade and (2) analyze factors that account for …


An Empirical Assessment Of The Performance And Competitive Effects Of Los Angeles County Charter Schools, Sam Trachtman Mar 2013

An Empirical Assessment Of The Performance And Competitive Effects Of Los Angeles County Charter Schools, Sam Trachtman

Undergraduate Economic Review

This paper evaluates the performance of charter elementary schools in Los Angeles County in three ways. First, I compare charter school performance to public school performance, controlling for a number of key characteristics. Second, I study the characteristics that appear to influence charter school success as compared to public school success. Third, I study the “competitive effect” of charter schools, examining how geographical proximity to charter schools affects the performance of traditional public schools. I find evidence that, ceteris paribus, traditional public schools score higher than charter schools, except in majority African American schools. Further, I find that the opening …


Pushing The Boundaries: What Youth Organizers At Boston's Hyde Square Task Force Have To Teach Us About Civic Engagement, Meredith L. Mira Mar 2013

Pushing The Boundaries: What Youth Organizers At Boston's Hyde Square Task Force Have To Teach Us About Civic Engagement, Meredith L. Mira

Democracy and Education

Across the United States, researchers and youth workers alike have identified an increasing number of civically engaged youth who are organizing to improve their communities and schools. By taking an action-oriented approach, these youth are speaking back to the notion that they are uninvolved in society. This interview-based study explores the meaning-making experiences of youth organizers at Boston’s Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) to better understand how they engage. Findings suggest that HSTF is engaging two broad groups of youth by focusing on both their personal development and their sense of community awareness. The study introduces an organizing model of …


‘Headmasters Become Noblemen’: Mainland Chinese Teachers’ Perspectives On Changes In Education In The Post-Mao Era, Lorin G. Yochim Jan 2013

‘Headmasters Become Noblemen’: Mainland Chinese Teachers’ Perspectives On Changes In Education In The Post-Mao Era, Lorin G. Yochim

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

In this article I report findings of research into the lives and work of Mainland Chinese teachers of English in a broader context characterized by market economic reform. I draw on transcriptions of group interviews to describe and discuss teachers’ lives and work, and forward a critical analysis that posits a connection between teachers’ accounts and the re-structuring of social relations in post-Mao China. The article details one of several themes treated in the study, specifically the broad category of ‘effects of educational reform.’ I suggest that the compliance and resistance apparent in these accounts reveals Chinese teachers to be …