Despite the achievement gap that has historically existed between students from different racial backgrounds and poverty levels, at-risk students in some California districts are outperforming students of similar backgrounds in other districts. Why? What are these districts doing to make their students so successful?
Anne Podolsky and colleagues at the Learning Policy Institute recently released a report first identifying the 156 California districts performing better than expected, referred to as "positive outliers," and then compared their characteristics to other districts in the state who have similar populations but are not performing as well.
Results showed that schools in the successful districts were comprised of more experienced, well-qualified teachers than the less successful districts. After controlling for student SES and district characteristics, teacher qualification emerged as the primary variable affecting achievement for all students, as measured by California's English Language Arts and math assessments. In addition, years' experience in a district was positively associated with achievement for African American and Hispanic students.
The report notes that in the 2017-18 school year, California authorized more than 12,000 substandard permits and credentials, more than half of the entering workforce that year, many of whom were disproportionately assigned to schools serving the largest percentages of students of color or from low SES backgrounds. The findings highlight how the state's shortage of qualified teachers is negatively impacting student achievement.
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