Elementary School Size and Student Progress Differences by Ethnicity/Race:A Multiyear, Texas Study
Abstract
Amy C. Busby, Cynthia Martinez-Garcia,and John R. Slate
In this investigation, the degree to which student enrollment (i.e., school size) at elementary schools was related to student progress on the State of Texas reading and mathematics state-mandated assessmentswas examined for White, Black, and Hispanic students. Archival data available on the Texas Academic PerformanceReport were analyzed for the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 school years. Inferential analyses revealed the presence of statistically significant differences, with below small to small effect sizes. Large-size schools had statistically significantly higher reading and mathematics progress rates than Small-size schools in 6of the 9analyses for White students. In 6of the 9analyses, school size was not related to student progress in reading or mathematics for Hispanic students. Small-size schools had statistically significantly higher progress ratesin mathematics for Hispanic students than Moderate-size schools. Large-size, Moderate-size, and Small-size schools had similar progress rates in reading andmathematics for Black students in 8of the 9analyses. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for research, are provided.
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