This paper examines the role of the macro-economy in the Latino dropout problem. Specifically, it looks at the effects of the county unemployment rate on Latino and Black district dropout rates. Previous studies have used unemployment rates to look at differences in causes of Latino and Black dropouts, but this paper specifies a more realistic process. Namely, it is not the absolute unemployment rate that contributes to Latino dropout behavior, rather it is the change in unemployment from one summer to the next that compels Latino students to consider leaving school. I analyze each racial group separately from 1997-98 to 2001-02, using Texas school district data and ordinary least squares methods. After controlling for other potential causes of Latino and Black dropout rates, I find differential effects across groups. Increases in the Latino dropout rate are observed in districts with increasing summer employment, all else equal. As the theory suggests, these macro-economic effects are not observed using Black dropout rates. Beyond these divergent results, the paper presents an improved research design for examining the relationship between the macro-economy and dropout behavior.

 

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Does organizational structure matter to program performance? This study addresses this question by focusing on how decentralization within an organization affects performance, generally. More specifically, it extracts expectations from the general concept to evaluate whether decentralization induces positive (negative) outcomes for organizations serving diverse clientele. Public education provides the context for the investigation. Findings demonstrate that administrative decentralization contributes positively to organizational performance, especially when faced with diversity. These expectations are then extended to evaluate another salient issue in education: the Latino dropout problem. While administrative decentralizion does not significantly decrease the Latino dropout rate (when utilizing a basic education production function), evidence supports the inclusion of such a variable in a more comprehensive model of Latino dropouts.

 

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Recent events have put a spotlight on the issue of school discipline. While some contend that harsher discipline policies improve student performance because they foster a safer educational environment, others argue that they impair student success and disproportionately target minorities. Using data from a 184 school districts in Texas, I examine the differing ways in which disciplinary actions influence Anglo, Latino, and African-American student achievement. Evidence provided by this study supports those who contend that suspensions are often used to "push out" students. Also, the results indicate that discipline policies have a much more potent impact among minorities than they do among Anglos. The finding is most consistent for African-Americans. Thus, the increased emphasis placed on harsher disciplinarily policies in recent years may produce negative consequences that policymakers do not intend.

 

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Proponents and opponents of bilingual education argue that it affect Latino dropout rates; with proponents arguing that bilingual education is a cure for the dropout problem and opponents arguing that it is a cause. This paper tests these arguments by comparing two types of programs geared toward limited English proficient (LEP) students, English as a second language (ESL) and bilingual programs. Using data from Texas, this study finds evidence for either proponents or opponents of bilingual education. That is, there is no evidence that bilingual education, compared to ESL programs, either help or hurt the Latino dropout problem. However, the Latino dropout problem appears to be, in part, a function of LEP students not being served by either ESL or bilingual programs. Specifically, Latino dropout rates increase when the number of Latino LEP students who are not served by either ESL or bilingual programs increases. These findings suggest that the important policy decision is not what type of program to use, but instead to ensure that all LEP students are served by some form of English acquisition assistance program.

 

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Objective. The education of minority students is of primary concern for education leaders and policy-makers in Texas. In recent years, minority students have made impressive gains on the statewide TAAS exam. However, Latino students continue to lag behind Anglo students in TAAS scores, Texas's primary measurement of basic skills. Latino students, however, have made great strides in closing this gap. In 1996, 54.2% of Latino test-takers passed the TAAS, compared to 79.8% for Anglo students, a gap of 25.6 percentage points. By 2002, Latino students cut this gap in half to 12.8 percentage points, scoring an average of 79.7% compared to an average of 92.5% for Anglos in that year. Indeed, this is evidence of significant progress. However, these statewide gains are not evenly distributed across all districts. Some school districts have made even more impressive gains while others have fallen behind. The Texas Educational Excellence Project believes that by identifying those districts that do a better job in educating Latino students, Latino TAAS performance can be further improved. The programs and policies used by the exemplary districts may then be used as a standard by which other districts can measure and improve their own performance.

 

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Standardized testing has become a large part of the educational process. As states increase the importance of these tests, many administrators are feeling pressure to raise their district's scores. Some studies argue that administrators may attempt to artificially inflate district pass rates by removing certain students from the test pool, either by pushing those students out of school or retaining them in lower grades (Schrag 2000; McNeil 2000). In identifying which students should be pushed out, Latino students may become a target, assuming that administrators will act on previous literature that cites language barriers, most often encountered by Latino students, as a primary obstacle to success (Heubert and Hauser 1999; Olson 2000). This paper tests the assumption that removing Latino students from the test pool will raise high stakes pass rates both for Latino students and the school district. Statistical findings give evidence to support the conclusion that administrative cheating, if it exists, does not work. Increased dropout and retention rates are negatively related to test performance, even when controlling for district quality.

 

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Objective. Texas minority students continue to make impressive gains on the statewide TAAS exam. The results of the 2002 TAAS exam indicate that scores for African American students continue to close the gap with Anglo students. In 1996, only 46.9 percent of African American students passed the TAAS compared to 79.8 percent of Anglo students. In 2002, 77.2 percent of African American students passed all tests compared to 92.5 percent of Anglo students. However, while African American students have made impressive gains over the past five years, the gap still remains substantial. Statewide averages, however, mask some impressive performance by individual school districts. The Texas Educational Excellence Project believes the first step in improving black tests scores is to identify school districts that do a better job of educating black students. Programs and policies in these districts can then be used by other districts to improve performance.

 

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Objective. The Texas Education Excellence Project is concerned with improving academic performance in school districts across Texas. This report focuses on the ability of school superintendents to improve academic performance in their schools. This study first develops a measure of superintendent quality. We then use this measure to predict several performance measures in a district, controlling for other factors that are known to affect performance. This analysis finds that superintendent quality does affect several measures of performance.

 

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• A copy of the article from which this report was drafted can be found on our publications page by clicking here.

   

• MS Word: The Macro-Economic Impacts on Hispanic Dropouts
   

   

• MS Word: Latinos, School Structure, and Dropping Out
   

   

Objective. The education of minority students is of primary concern for education leaders and policy-makers in Texas. While Latino students have made impressive gains in the last decade, they continue to lag behind Anglo students in the state's fundamental measurement of basic skills, the TAAS. In 1991 41.5 percent of Latino students passed the TAAS, compared with 68.9% for Anglo students, a gap of 27.4 percentage points. Ten years later, Latino students had reduced to deficit to 14.8 percentage points, scoring an average pass rate of 75.6% in 2001 compared to the average Anglo pass rate that year of 90.4%. Obviously, Latino students are narrowing the gap. However, these overall gains at the state level, while impressive, are not equally distributed across all districts. Some Latino school districts have made even more impressive gains while others have fallen behind. It is the aim of the Texas Educational Excellence Project to identify school districts that do a better job of educating Latino students. The programs and policies used by the exemplary districts then may be used as a standard by which other districts can measure and improve their own performance.

 

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Objective. African American students continue to make performance gains in Texas. However, while African American students have made impressive gains over the past five years, the gap between African American and Anglo students still remains substantial. In 2001, 72 percent of African American students passed the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) exam compared to 46.9 percent in 1996. African Americans remain 18.4 percentage points behind the average pass rate of 90.4 percent for Anglo students. Statewide averages, however, mask some impressive gains by individual school districts. TEEP recognizes school districts that show outstanding performance in educating African American students so that researchers can identify successful programs and policies in an effort to apply them across Texas.

 

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Objective. The future is bright for Latino students in Texas, reports the Texas Educational Excellence Project (TEEP) headquartered at Texas A&M University. Latino students have made impressive gains in academic performance over the past decade; however, they continue to lag behind their Anglo counterparts.
In 2000, 71.9 percent of Latino students passed the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) exam compared to 41.5 percent in 1991. Latinos remain 17.4 percentage points behind the average pass rate of 89.3 percent for Anglo students. Test performance is only one of the many criteria used by TEEP to examine how well districts are educating Latino students. TEEP recognizes school districts that show outstanding performance in educating Latinos so that researchers can identify successful programs and policies in an effort to apply them across Texas to improve overall Latino performance.

 

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Objective.The Gymnasiums are open and the stadium lights are burning, but research indicates that Texas schools fumble when it comes to algebra and English academics. A study by the Texas Educational Excellence Project (TEEP) at Texas A&M University reports that school districts with a high financial devotion to athletics perform lower on academic exams. According to the study, character and teamwork do score high marks on the field, but off the field, they do not give schools any scholastic advantage. In fact, high athletic budgets actually have a negative impact of as much as 32 points and .9 points on the SAT and ACT, respectively. After studying 500 districts over a 4-year period, researchers conclusively found that scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and the ACT and SAT college entrance exams dropped as general athletic budgets increased.
 

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Objective. Nationwide, girls' math scores consistently fall short of boys' scores, but a study by the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University finds that an increase in the number of female math teachers could not only reduce the math score gap between girls and boys, but also increase college success in fields that emphasize math and mathematical reasoning. Even though females outnumber males at the teacher level, the study found that increasing the number of female math teachers could reduce the math score gap by one third. In addition, the study also emphasized the under-representation of females at the superintendent level. Texas school districts employ 75 percent females in instructor roles; however at the administrator level that number falls to 27 percent and even lower to 8.4 percent at the superintendent level, says Kenneth J. Meier, director of the Center for Presidential Studies, Policy & Governance at the Bush School and coordinator of the Texas Educational Excellence Project (TEEP).