Researcher ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6338-2315
Graduation Year
2023
Date of Submission
4-2023
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Government
Reader 1
Shanna Rose
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
This study aims to measure the impact of equity-oriented school finance reforms in California on student achievement using a mixed-methods approach. This study uses data from the California Department of Education, the American Community Survey – Education Tabulation, and two interviews with school district officials to analyze the effect of the concentration grant—a grant targeted for low-income students, English Language Learners, and foster youth—on student test scores for the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments in English and math by school district. Using a combination of OLS, IV, and RD designs, this study uses a sample of 196 school districts to compare student outcomes in those that met the eligibility cutoff point for the concentration grant and school districts that did not. Overall, results show statistically insignificant effects on student achievement and intergroup achievement gaps, including racial achievement gaps. The presence of the concentration grant is associated with an increase in the percentage of all students who met the English standard but is associated with negative impacts on intergroup achievement gaps. Other organizational and individual attributes, like leadership, decision-making processes, and beliefs about students, can affect the concentration grant’s ability to reach the neediest students.
Recommended Citation
Ramirez, Michelle, "Closing the Achievement Gap?: Examining the Equity of California's School Finance System Using Student Test Scores" (2023). CMC Senior Theses. 3349.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3349
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
