Closing Achievement Gaps: Examining the Roles of School Background and Process. Issue 8 (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Huang; Shen, Jianping; Spybrook, Jessaca; Gao, Xingyuan
• Is Part Of: Education and urban society. Volume 53:Issue 8(2021)
• Page Start: 909
• Page End: 937
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: achievement gap -- opportunity gap -- receivement gap -- academic achievement -- school leadership -- science achievement -- school emphasis on academic success -- teacher collaboration -- TIMSS 2015; Education, Urban -- Periodicals; 370.11505
• DOI: 10.1177/0013124521989447
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-1245

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of school background and school process in closing achievement gaps between White and non-White students in science. To answer the research questions, a series of two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) was performed on the fourth-grade U.S. portion of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data. Results indicate that (a) the science achievement gap between White and non-White students is 0.21 standard deviation, holding student and school background constant; (b) the science achievement gap varies across schools; (c) none of the school background variables are associated with the achievement gap in a school; and (d) school emphasis on student academic learning is not only associated with higher school-level science achievement, but also with a narrower science achievement gap between White and non-White students. However, teacher collaboration is not associated with school-level science achievement but is associated with a larger achievement gap. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for further research are discussed.