Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Major/Program

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor's Name

Maria Fernandez

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Teresa Lucas

Third Advisor's Name

Maria Lovett

Fourth Advisor's Name

Benjamin Baez

Keywords

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT, racial concentration, ethnic concentration, socio-economic status, SES, Title I, ESOL, English for Speakers of Other Languages, School Climate, No Child Left Behind, state standardized test, M-DCPS, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida, school choice, vouchers, magnet program, charter school, academic achievement, school segregation, dominant culture, educational attainment, tracking, social segregation, residential segregation, neighborhood, poverty, homeownership, parental influence, parent involvement, parents' education, family structure, perceptions of education, School Climate Survey

Date of Defense

11-8-2013

Abstract

From the moment children are born, they begin a lifetime journey of learning about themselves and their surroundings. With the establishment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, it mandates that all children receive a high-quality education in a positive school climate. Regardless of the school the child attends or the neighborhood in which the child lives, proper and quality education and resources must be provided and made available in order for the child to be academically successful.

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to investigate the relationship between the FCAT 2.0 mathematics scores of public middle school students in Miami-Dade County, Florida and the concentrations of a school’s racial and ethnic make-up (Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics), English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) population, socio-economic status (SES), and school climate. The research question of this study was: Is there a significant relationship between the FCAT 2.0 Mathematics scores and racial and ethnic concentration of public middle school students in Miami-Dade County when controlling SES, ESOL student population, and school climate for the 2010-2011 school year?

The instruments used to collect the data were the FCAT 2.0 and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) School Climate Survey. The study found that Economically Disadvantaged (SES) students socio-economic status had the strongest correlation with the FCAT 2.0 mathematics scores (r = -.830). The next strongest correlation was with the number of students who agreed that their school climate was positive and helped them learn (r = .741) and the third strongest correlation was a school percentage of White students (r = .668). The study concluded that the FCAT 2.0 mathematics scores of M-DCPS middle school students have a significant relationship with socio-economic status, school climate, and racial concentration.

Identifier

FI13121201

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