ERIC Number: EJ899515
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Sep-10
Pages: 99
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1068-2341
EISSN: N/A
The Black-White Achievement Gap Revisited
Braun, Henry; Chapman, Lauren; Vezzu, Sailesh
Education Policy Analysis Archives, v18 n21 p1-99 Sep 2010
This study examines trends in Black student achievement and in the Black-White achievement gap over the period 2000 to 2007, employing data from ten states drawn from the NAEP Grade 8 mathematics assessments. Results are obtained for three levels of aggregation: the state, school poverty stratum within the state, and schools within poverty stratum. In addition, information on the ten states' education policies for the period 1998 to 2005 was compiled. States relative ranks on the overall strength of their reform efforts were compared to their relative ranks with respect to their success in improving Black student achievement and in reducing the Black-White achievement gap. This study constitutes an extension of earlier work that considered the same issues for the period 1992 to 2000 and, thus, offers a unique comparison between the pre-NCLB era and the present one. Although the ten states certainly differed in their outcomes, the general picture at all three levels of aggregation is quite clear: The achievement gaps are substantial and the introduction of federally mandated high stakes test-based accountability through No Child Left Behind has had a very modest impact on the rates of improvement for Black students and on the pace of reductions in the achievement gaps between Black students and White students. Moreover, there was only a weak association between states' policy rankings and their rankings related to test results. It appears there is a need for both fresh thinking on education reform and a more concerted effort to collect comprehensive longitudinal information on states' education policies. (Contains 25 footnotes, 33 tables, and 8 figures.)
Descriptors: African American Students, Test Results, Academic Achievement, Educational Change, Grade 8, Achievement Gap, White Students, Racial Differences, Equal Education, Trend Analysis, Mathematics Achievement, Poverty, Educational Policy, Achievement Gains, Federal Legislation, High Stakes Tests, Accountability, Curriculum, State Standards, Teacher Qualifications, Teacher Salaries, Teacher Certification, National Standards
Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: http://epaa.asu.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California; Kentucky; Maryland; Michigan; New York; North Carolina; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A