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The measurement and decomposition of achievement equity - an introduction to its concepts and methods including a multiyear empirical study of sixth grade reading scores

Rogers, Francis H, III
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092419197

Abstract Details

2004, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Educational Policy and Leadership.
The maintenance of democracy requires the adequate education of our youth. Americans have struggled since the founding of the republic to define the scope of this democratic imperative and to fulfill its requirements. Over the course of the twentieth century, the educational minimum was defined in terms of fiscal resources for education. Educational equality, in turn, has been measured in terms of the equality of the distribution of fiscal resources. This paper contends that the shift away from fiscal equity toward achievement equity calls for a shift in our approach to the measurement of educational equality. The study expands the conceptual framework for measuring educational equality by incorporating the ideas of the democratic imperative for education and standards-based reform. These two ideas are brought together in the concept of egalitarian inequality, a condition marked by all students reaching or exceeding the level of educational attainment necessary to function in a democratic society. Drawing on this framework and established measures of equality, the study offers an empirical analysis of achievement equity. Posing the question of whether achievement equity has improved in recent years, as we would expect based on state and federal accountability legislation, we examine changes in equity in the distribution of reading proficiency scores drawn from a large, Midwestern school district for the years 1998 through 2003. Characteristics of the equality measurement techniques are described and compared. Following the federal mandate for disaggregating student subgroup achievement, decomposition techniques are applied to determine within- and between-groups contributions to district equity. Results of decomposition measures are presented and compared. Implications for policy makers and equity analysts are discussed with regard to gaining a more systematic understanding of the achievement gap and how, or whether, schools and districts are making progress toward closing those gaps. Recommendations for future work are offered both for broader, state and national studies and for more detailed district, school, and subgroup decompositions.
William Loadman (Advisor)
215 p.
Equity measurement; Inequality measurement; Achievement equity; Equity decomposition; Theil statistic; Theil decomposition; Atkinson index; Atkinson decomposition

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Citations

  • Rogers, III, F. H. (2004). The measurement and decomposition of achievement equity - an introduction to its concepts and methods including a multiyear empirical study of sixth grade reading scores [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092419197

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rogers, III, Francis. The measurement and decomposition of achievement equity - an introduction to its concepts and methods including a multiyear empirical study of sixth grade reading scores. 2004. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092419197.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rogers, III, Francis. "The measurement and decomposition of achievement equity - an introduction to its concepts and methods including a multiyear empirical study of sixth grade reading scores." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092419197

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1092419197
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© 2004, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.