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Title: Student Performance and the Changing American Family
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Grissmer, David W. Kirby, Sheila Nataraj Berends, Mark Williamson, Stephanie |
Student Performance and the Changing American Family RB-8009, RAND Research Brief Series, December 1994. Also: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB8009.html Cohort(s): NLSY79 Publisher: RAND Keyword(s): Age at First Birth; Demography; Family Characteristics; Family Environment; Income; Labor Force Participation; Minority Groups; National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS); Parents, Single; Test Scores/Test theory/IRT; Tests and Testing This research brief describes work documented in Student Achievement and the Changing American Family (MR-488-LE). Full document online: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_briefs/2009/RB8009.pdf Critics of American education frequently blame lagging student performance on the deteriorating American family structure. Moreover, it is widely asserted that substantial spending on schools and social programs over the past two decades has failed to reverse the educational downtrend. However, a recent study conducted by RAND’s Institute for Education and Training sharply challenges this view. First, the study points out that prior research--contrary to public perception--has reported gains in student performance between 1970 and 1990, as measured by nationally representative test score data. The largest gains were made by minority students, although a substantial gap still remains. Second, the study finds that demographic trends affecting the family over this time period contributed to rising test scores. Third, the minority gains cannot be fully explained by changing family characteristics, suggesting that we need to look to other factors for explanations. The most likely explanations are rising public investment in schools and families and equal educational opportunity policies. |
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Bibliography Citation
Grissmer, David W., Sheila Nataraj Kirby, Mark Berends and Stephanie Williamson. "Student Performance and the Changing American Family." RB-8009, RAND Research Brief Series, December 1994. |