The Privileged Poor

The Privileged Poor
Author: Anthony Abraham Jack
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2019-03-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0674239660

An NPR Favorite Book of the Year Winner of the Critics’ Choice Book Award, American Educational Studies Association Winner of the Mirra Komarovsky Book Award Winner of the CEP–Mildred García Award for Exemplary Scholarship “Eye-opening...Brings home the pain and reality of on-campus poverty and puts the blame squarely on elite institutions.” —Washington Post “Jack’s investigation redirects attention from the matter of access to the matter of inclusion...His book challenges universities to support the diversity they indulge in advertising.” —New Yorker “The lesson is plain—simply admitting low-income students is just the start of a university’s obligations. Once they’re on campus, colleges must show them that they are full-fledged citizen.” —David Kirp, American Prospect “This book should be studied closely by anyone interested in improving diversity and inclusion in higher education and provides a moving call to action for us all.” —Raj Chetty, Harvard University The Ivy League looks different than it used to. College presidents and deans of admission have opened their doors—and their coffers—to support a more diverse student body. But is it enough just to admit these students? In this bracing exposé, Anthony Jack shows that many students’ struggles continue long after they’ve settled in their dorms. Admission, they quickly learn, is not the same as acceptance. This powerfully argued book documents how university policies and campus culture can exacerbate preexisting inequalities and reveals why some students are harder hit than others.

Size Matters

Size Matters
Author: Ulrich Boser
Publisher:
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

When it comes to education, not all spending is equal. Some education dollars are spent more productively than others. In a time of lagging revenues and flat achievement in many districts, policymakers have increasingly started to pay greater attention to the question of whether education systems are getting the most out of every education dollar. Policymakers have begun to rethink the fundamental design of the education system. Two strains of work--productivity and governance--have led policymakers to ask: Could the structure of the education system be reformed in ways that might increase student achievement? With this question in mind, this report looks at the widespread existence of small school districts--defined here as districts with fewer than 1,000 students, that are not classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as "rural remote" or "town remote"--and specifically at the extra education costs associated with these districts. Over the years many have argued that small school districts have unnecessary costs because they lack economies of scale.

Small School District Consolidation in Texas

Small School District Consolidation in Texas
Author: Dwight A. Cooley
Publisher:
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2011
Genre: Academic achievement
ISBN:

Historically, the number of school districts in the United States has decreased despite the obvious increase in the number of students. One cause of the reduction in school districts is that small rural school districts merge or consolidate with each other, resulting in fewer school districts. When school districts consolidate, all aspects of the school districts' operations are impacted. Each year lawmakers and rural school district officials face dwindling finances, and each year these decision makers question whether or not to consolidate small rural school districts. Proponents tout the benefits of fiscal efficiency, a broadened curriculum and an increase in student achievement. Critics argue that the community suffers when schools close as the result of school district consolidation. This investigation had dual focus areas. One area of investigation focused on the fiscal efficiency of consolidated school districts by comparing per pupil expenditures. The other investigation focused on student achievement levels by comparing passing rate percentages on the state assessment tests. Expenditure and student achievement data were collected before and after consolidation. A paired samples t-test measured differences in efficiency, and the Lawshe-Baker Nomograph t-test measured differences in student achievement. The t-tests did reveal a statistical difference in expenditures and in student achievement. Per pupil expenditures increased while student achievement decreased for the absorbing district.