Closing the Achievement Gap Is Title I Working (AEI Evaluative Studies)

by Kosters, Marvin H.

• ISBN13: 9780844771656
• ISBN10: 0844771651
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Aei Press

Summary

This study examines the effects on achievement of the largest federal program of financial aid to schools, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. That legislation was intended to improve the academic performance of children in low-income schools who have generally failed to attain achievement levels comparable to those in higher-income schools. The program was recently reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act.
In this book the authors summarize the evolution of policy under Title I, review previous evaluations of its effects on achievement, and present new evidence based on national data on math and reading test scores to assess recent experience under the program. The authors conclude that Title I has failed to produce any significant increase in test scores or to narrow achievement gaps between the scores of low- and high-income students and schools.

Author Biography

Brent D. Mast is a research fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Achievement Gaps	p. 2
Policy, Programs, and Funding	p. 10
The Rest of the Study	p. 15
A Review of Title I Policy	p. 17
Implementing the New Program	p. 17
The 1970s	p. 19
The 1980s and 1990s	p. 21
Current Policy	p. 24
Title I Resources	p. 25
A Review of Title I Evaluations	p. 29
The Early Studies	p. 31
Sustaining Effects Study	p. 35
Prospects Study	p. 37
Promising Results, Continuing Challenges	p. 39
Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance	p. 41
Summary	p. 43
A New Evaluation of Achievement in the 1990s	p. 45
The Model	p. 47
The Data	p. 47
Achievement Equation Exogenous Variables	p. 53
Title I Equation Exogenous Variables	p. 57
Estimates	p. 59
Estimates for All Students in Full Samples	p. 63
Estimates for Subsamples	p. 67
Interpretation	p. 79
Conclusions	p. 90
Summary and Conclusions	p. 93
The Program and Its Goals	p. 93
Policy Implications	p. 96
Appendix	p. 103
Notes	p. 109
References	p. 119
Index	p. 123
About the Authors	p. 127
Tables
Descriptive Statistics for Achievement and Title I Variables	p. 49
Selected Characteristics of Title I Students	p. 50
Descriptive Statistics for Achievement Equation Exogenous Variables	p. 54
Summary of Alternative Specifications and Samples	p. 61
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Estimates for Full Sample with All Variables and State Fixed Effects	p. 64
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Estimates for Full Sample with Limited Variable List and State Fixed Effects	p. 68
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Estimates for Full Samples with All Variables and Regional Fixed Effects	p. 70
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Estimates for Full Sample with Limited Variable List and Regional Fixed Effects	p. 72
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Linear Estimates for White and Minority Subsamples with Limited Variable List and State Fixed Effects	p. 74
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Nonlinear Estimates for White and Minority Subsamples with Limited Variable List and State Fixed Effects	p. 76
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Linear Estimates for Subsamples by Lunch Subsidy with Limited Variable List and State Fixed Effects	p. 80
Effects of Title I on Achievement with Nonlinear Estimates for Subsamples by Lunch Subsidy with Limited Variable List and State Fixed Effects	p. 82
Summary of Treatment Effect Estimates	p. 84
Achievement Equation Estimates	p. 104
Probit Estimates of Title I Equations	p. 106
Figures
Fourth-Grade Reading Skills by School Poverty Level, 1998	p. 4
Fourth-Grade Math Skills by School Poverty Level, 1996	p. 4
Test Score Gaps by School Poverty Level for Fourth-Grade NAEP Reading Tests, 1988-1999	p. 5
Test Score Gaps by School Poverty Level for Fourth-Grade NAEP Math Tests, 1986-1999	p. 5
Fourth-Grade Reading Skills by Race, 1998	p. 6
Fourth-Grade Math Skills by Race, 1996	p. 6
Black-White Test Score Gaps for NAEP Reading Tests, 1971-1999	p. 8
Black-White Test Score Gaps for NAEP Math Tests, 1978-1999	p. 8
Black-White Test Score Gaps for Fourth-Grade NAEP Reading Tests by State, 1998	p. 9
Black-White Test Score Gaps for Fourth-Grade NAEP Math Tests by State, 1996	p. 9
Fourth-Grade Reading Skills in High-Poverty Schools by State, 1998	p. 11
Fourth-Grade Math Skills in High-Poverty Schools by State, 1996	p. 12
Title I LEA Grant Allocation History, FY 1966-2001	p. 26
Title I Funding per Pupil, 1966-2001	p. 27
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