The impact of school SES on student achievement: Evidence from U.S. statewide achievement data

Journal article

Armor, David J., Marks, Gary and Malatinszky, Aron. (2018). The impact of school SES on student achievement: Evidence from U.S. statewide achievement data. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis: a quarterly publication of the American Educational Research Association. 40(4), pp. 613 - 630. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373718787917
AuthorsArmor, David J., Marks, Gary and Malatinszky, Aron
Abstract

After the U.S. Supreme Court restricted the use of race in assigning students to schools, there was a surge in advocacy of school integration based on student socioeconomic status (SES). Benefits of socioeconomic integration have been supported by various studies finding significant effects of school SES on achievement after controlling for individual student SES. This article investigates school SES effects using statewide longitudinal achievement data from several U.S. states. School SES effects nearly vanish after controlling for a student’s prior achievement or, alternatively, controlling for stable differences among students using fixed effects models. The article concludes that large school SES effects often found in cross-sectional studies are artifacts of aggregation and are not a sound basis for SES-based school integration policies.

Keywordsschool SES; student achievement; socioeconomic integration
Year2018
JournalEducational Evaluation and Policy Analysis: a quarterly publication of the American Educational Research Association
Journal citation40 (4), pp. 613 - 630
PublisherSage Publications Ltd.
ISSN0162-3737
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373718787917
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85050314655
Page range613 - 630
Publisher's version
File Access Level
Controlled
Place of publicationUnited States of America
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