scholarly journals Do Student Mindsets Differ by Socioeconomic Status and Explain Disparities in Academic Achievement in the United States?

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 233285841985770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mesmin Destin ◽  
Paul Hanselman ◽  
Jenny Buontempo ◽  
Elizabeth Tipton ◽  
David S. Yeager
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Academic Ability ◽  
Socioeconomic Achievement ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Small Factor ◽  
Ninth Grade Students

Students from higher–socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds show a persistent advantage in academic outcomes over lower-SES students. It is possible that students’ beliefs about academic ability, or mindsets, play some role in contributing to these disparities. Data from a recent nationally representative sample of ninth-grade students in U.S. public schools provided evidence that higher SES was associated with fewer fixed beliefs about academic ability (a group difference of .22 standard deviations). Also, there was a negative association between a fixed mindset and grades that was similar regardless of a student’s SES. Finally, student mindsets were a significant but small factor in explaining the existing relationship between SES and achievement. Altogether, mindsets appear to be associated with socioeconomic circumstances and academic achievement; however, the vast majority of the existing socioeconomic achievement gap in the U.S. is likely driven by the root causes of inequality.

Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on School Finance and Achievement: Evidence from Oklahoma

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Morton
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
School Finance ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
The United States ◽  
Day School ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Food Services ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Operations And Maintenance

Motivated by potential financial savings, four-day school weeks have proliferated across the United States in recent years, reaching public schools in 25 states as of 2018. The consequences of the four-day school week for students, schools, and communities are largely unknown. This paper uses district-level panel data from Oklahoma and a difference-in-differences research design to examine the causal effect of the four-day schedule on school district finance and academic achievement. Results indicate that four-day weeks decrease districts’ federal revenues and their non-instructional and support services expenditures. Decreases are concentrated specifically in operations and maintenance, food services, and transportation expenditures and amount to approximately 2.03% of the average four-day district’s budget. I find no detectable effect of the four-day week on academic achievement.

scholarly journals Recess and Reading Achievement of Early Childhood Students in Public Schools

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ümmühan Yeşil Dağlı
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Reading Scores ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Family Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Recess Period ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Initial Reading ◽  
Main Effects

In recent years, schools have tended to eliminate recess period and to devote more time to instruction in order to increase academic achievement. Using a nationally representative sample, this study examined reading scores of students who experienced different numbers of recess days in a week, and different number of times and length of recess in a day. Students’ gender, race, family socioeconomic status, initial reading scores, and age were controlled. Findings showed no significant main effects of recess; however, students who were exposed to a 16-30 minutes recess period tended to perform better. An interaction effect of race and the length of recess was found. It was concluded that recess does not have a significant effect on reading achievement. In other words, it does not improve or hurt academic achievement, but provides an opportunity for children to be physically active, play and socialize -- just to be a child.

Seasonal Dynamics of Academic Achievement Inequality by Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 443-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Quinn ◽  
North Cooc ◽  
Joe McIntyre ◽  
Celia J. Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Test Score ◽  
School Year ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Racial Ethnic ◽  
Test Score Gaps ◽  
Kindergarten Class

Early studies examining seasonal variation in academic achievement inequality generally concluded that socioeconomic test score gaps grew more over the summer than the school year, suggesting schools served as “equalizers.” In this study, we analyze seasonal trends in socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic test score gaps using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K:2011), which includes more school-year and summer rounds than previous national studies. We further examine how inequality dynamics are influenced by the operationalization of inequality. Findings are consistent with a story in which schools initially accelerate relatively lower-achieving groups’ learning more so than higher-achieving groups; however, this school-year equalizing is not consistently maintained and sometimes reverses. When operationalizing inequality as changes in relative position, the reversal of school-year equalizing is more pronounced.

scholarly journals What Can Sociology Say About Grit? A Cross-Cultural Exploration of the Relationships between Socioeconomic Status, Sense of Control, and Grit

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110052
Author(s):  
Hye Won Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Sense Of Control ◽  
The Public ◽  
Psychological Resource

Despite growing interest from the public, little attention has been directed toward grit in sociology. By disaggregating grit into its component factors (i.e., perseverance of effort and consistency of interest) on the basis of a measurement test, the author examines the potentially contrasting relations of grit to socioeconomic status. Using survey data from the United States and South Korea, the author finds that those with higher socioeconomic status partially translate their structural advantages into grit, particularly into the perseverance-of-effort dimension of grit in South Korea, via their stronger beliefs in personal control over their lives (i.e., sense of control). This study also reveals a negative association between one’s own or parental education and the consistency-of-interest dimension of grit, suggesting that stick-to-it-iveness can be a potential supplementary psychological resource for those who may lack other resources.

Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on School Finance and Achievement: Evidence From Oklahoma

2020 ◽  
pp. 0013189X2094802
Author(s):  
Emily Morton
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
School Finance ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
The United States ◽  
Day School ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Food Services ◽  
Difference In Differences

Motivated by potential financial savings, 4-day school weeks have proliferated across the United States in recent years, reaching public schools in 24 states as of 2019. The consequences of the 4-day school week for students, schools, and communities are largely unknown. This article uses district-level panel data from Oklahoma and a difference-in-differences research design to examine the causal effect of the 4-day schedule on school district finance and academic achievement. Results indicate that 4-day weeks decrease districts’ federal revenues and their noninstructional and support services expenditures. Decreases are concentrated specifically in operations, transportation, and food services expenditures and amount to approximately 2.03% of the average 4-day district’s budget. There is no detectable effect of the 4-day week on academic achievement.

Bias in Learning Disabilities Placement

1993 ◽  
Vol 72 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1243-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Stone
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Academic Ability ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
National Scale ◽  
Placement Decisions ◽  
Eighth Grade Students ◽  
Nationally Representative

A nationally representative sample of 20,614 eighth grade students was examined for bias in placement decisions for children said to have learning disabilities. Factors investigated for bias were race, sex, and socioeconomic status. Path analysis showed significant and direct paths from sex and race to placement, controlling for socioeconomic status, academic ability, and behavioral competency. Boys were overrepresented in such classes beyond what their somewhat lower academic and behavioral competencies would predict. Caucasians were similarly overrepresented controlling for other variables in the model. It appears that boys and Caucasians are overrepresented in learning disabilities placements on a national scale even when other contributing factors are controlled.

Metacognitive Knowledge, Skills, and Awareness: A Possible Solution to Enhancing Academic Achievement in African American Adolescents

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-639
Author(s):  
Annie K. Smith ◽  
Sheila Black ◽  
Lisa M. Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
African American ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
African American Students ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
The United States ◽  
Metacognitive Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
American Students

The resegregation of public schools in the United States continues to place African American students at an academic disadvantage with—oftentimes—limited educational resources and fewer qualified teachers. Providing African American students with skills and strategies to succeed has never been more urgent. Metacognition, often defined simply as “thinking about thinking,” is a construct and process that may explain how students can improve and control their thinking and learning. Given the educational inequality African American students often face, providing strategies—with which they have control—may help empower students to better navigate and make the best of their daily academic experiences and environment composed of limited physical and human resources. Toward this end, recent research on metacognition looks promising and may be one viable option to enhance academic achievement among students. In this article, we consider three related areas that inform African American youth educational experiences: (a) the history of the educational context which African American youth have long faced, (b) the laws that have historically and currently buttress and inform the educational landscape for African American youth, and (c) one potential solution (i.e., metacognitive knowledge, skills, and awareness) to reduce or ameliorate some of the problems outlined in the history and laws that have been implicated in the low levels of academic achievement among some African American youth. Following the review of these related literature bases, we offer recommendations on how the extant literature bases may inform directions for future research that is focused on metacognition and that is ethically and culturally responsive.

Inside Student Government: The Variable Quality of High School Student Councils

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Mcfarland ◽  
Carlos Starmanns
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Political Socialization ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Representative Government ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Student Council ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nationally Representative

Background/Context Student governments are the first direct experience that youth have of representative government. However, very little research has been done on student councils in spite of their ubiquity in American high schools and consistent references to their positive effects on the political socialization of youth. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This article studies how student councils are variably organized across the nation to determine how and why better or worse quality experiences of representative government are being had by youth just before they enter adulthood and have the opportunity to be engaged in the nation's political system. Research Design The authors conducted interviews with student council sponsors, collected a nationally representative sample of student council constitutions, and then looked at the variance in student powers and faculty controls over council endeavors. Conclusions/Recommendations The study finds that student councils are variably organized by school charters and by income levels and race of student populations. Elite public schools afford councils unprecedented powers and low faculty oversight, whereas impoverished schools and those with disadvantaged minorities tend to lack councils or merely have ones that perform social functions. By contrast, private religious schools have the most active councils engaged in a wide range of activities, but their decisions and memberships are constrained by a great deal of faculty oversight. Such variation in representative government has implications for political socialization and the types of citizens being developed in the United States.

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