African-American student achievement in DOD versus civilian public schools

achievement of African-American students in civilian public schools vs. African-American students in the Depart of Defense (DOD) school system

The methods section of this dissertation provides the rationale for the proposed study based on my hypothesis comparing African-American students in the DOD school system with African-American students in civilian school systems.

It also highlights the key questions that were examined, how the study was conducted and the measuring criteria for analysis. The paper will provide detailed information that should be a sufficient foundation for anyone who wishes to conduct a parallel study.

This portion of the paper will provide an outline of the following:

Purpose - which will define my reason for doing this study

Background Information - will provide information on the level of measurement I have selected, i.e. The SAT scores and information on the Department of Defense (DOD) school system itself

Procedure - outlines the steps that I will employ in completing this study

Sample and Data - which provides information on the populations I will examine and the data I will use for comparative purposes

Comparative Analysis - to review and analyze the data that I was able to collect and compile and determine if it validates the hypothesis of this study

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to compare the achievement levels of African-Americans students in civilian public schools vs. African-American students in schools sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD). The measure of achievement will be based on the results of SAT scores.

This will be accomplished by determining the relationship(s) between achievement, the dependent variable, SAT scores and the independent variables including Grade Point Average (GPA), Socioeconomic Status (SES), gender, discipline referrals and attendance.

This study seeks to provide answers to the following research questions and provide definitive information about the relationship between achievement for African- American students in public schools vs. The DOD school system.

I will seek information to answer the following research questions:

Why are African-American students performing better in the DOD school environment?

Are there lessons for the public school system that could be learned from the DOD school system model and experience?

Students as a whole perform better in the DOD school system and in particular, Hispanic and African-American students have demonstrated strong scholastic abilities. This paper will endeavor to examine what criteria may be influential in the DOD school environment that helps students reach their full potential and strive to achieve.

Background Information

In order to understand the measure of achievement used in this study, I have included the following information on the SATs as background information. I have also included information on the DOD school system as reference material for comparison with civilian public school systems.

SAT Scores

The SAT is this nation's oldest, most widely used college entrance exam. The SAT I is composed of two sections, Verbal and Math, each scored on a 200-800 point scale. The 138 questions are nearly exclusively multiple-choice; ten math questions require students to "grid in" the answer. By design, the test is "speeded" which means that many test takers are unable to finish all the questions. The SAT II, formerly "achievement tests," are one hour subject oriented exams, presented in a multiple-choice format (except for the SAT II "writing" test, which includes one 20-minute essay). The Educational Testing Service (ETS), under contract to the College Board, produces and administers all SAT tests.

According to the Educational Testing Service these test scores help predict grades. The degree of correlation between two variables, such as test scores and first-year grades, is measured by a statistic called the correlation coefficient, which ranges in value from -1 to 1. A value of 1 indicates perfect positive correlation, and a value of zero indicates no correlation.

The proportion of variation in one variable that is explained by variation in the other is given by the correlation coefficient squared, called "r-squared." Another interpretation of r-squared is the degree of improvement in prediction over sheer guesswork that we gain by using one variable to predict the other. The SAT has the greatest predictive validity of the tests, with correlation coefficients ranging from.2 to.5 at most.

The SAT I is validated for just one purpose: predicting first-year college grades. It does not do even this very well. Test makers acknowledge that high school grade-point average (GPA) or class rank is the best predictor of first-year grades, despite the huge variation among high schools and courses. SAT I can predict other outcomes, such as graduation rates, even more poorly. As more colleges move away from using the multiple-choice exam until after World War II. The test is designed to be independent of high school curricula (unlike the SAT's main competitor, the ACT). It now consists of analogies, sentence completion, reading comprehension, standard math and quantitative comparison items. SAT I does not include advanced mathematics topics nor does it attempt to assess higher-order thinking or reasoning skills. Though a "Verbal" score is provided, test takers do not write a single word.

Many of the misconceptions regarding the SAT stem from the name of the test. The initials originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test, but as UC President Richard Atkinson pointed out in his speech at the American Educational Conference. In 1990, the College Board "changed the name of the SAT from 'Scholastic Aptitude Test' to 'Scholastic Achievement Test.' And in 1996 it dropped the name altogether and said that the 'SAT' was the 'SAT' and that the initials no longer stood for anything. Rather than resolving the problem, this rhetorical sleight-of-hand served to underscore the mystery of what the SAT is supposed to measure."

Historically, African-American, Latino, new Asian immigrant and many other minority test-takers score significantly lower than white students. Rigid use of SATs for admissions will produce freshman classes with very few minorities and with no appreciable gain in academic quality. Colleges that have made the SAT I optional report that their applicant pools are more diverse and that there has been no drop off in academic quality.

Procedure

This will be a qualitative study through which I examine a school in the DOD school system with a high percentage of African-American students and a civilian African-American student population across a range of socioeconomic classes. This study will be based on the dependent variable, SAT scores, which will be used as the measure for achievement level.

In addition, I will use random sampling through which I propose to gather the following data, the independent variables for both student populations:

Age

Gender

SES

Grade

GPA

Sat score

Discipline referrals

Attendance

The study will also include the following data that will be complied and compared for both student populations to characterize the similarities and differences between the two school systems, i.e. public and DOD.

Class size

Teacher experience

Drop our rate

Teacher/student ratio

Percentage of minority teachers

Sample and Data

This study will be conducted using a clearly defined population base on the criteria stated above. Because this is a qualitative study, my work will involve some in-depth interviews with a specifically defined number of the population, using random sampling methodology.

I will interview African-American students in both the civilian public schools and in the DOD school system. The interview process will also involve teachers in both school environments. The number of interviews will be based on the size of the populations available and I will conduct a percentage of interviews base on that total. The length of the interview has not yet been determined and will be based on the questionnaire.

The curriculum in both school systems will be reviewed and current research on the results African-American students have achieved through the public school system and DOD school system will be reviewed and compared.

I will also review the socioeconomic factors associated with both groups to determine the role they play in achievement. I will also examine attendance records and cases where disciplinary referrals were submitted.

Parental involvement will also be a factor in this study.

Comparative Analysis will make the following comparisons as a result of the data gathered for this study and this will include both the dependent and independent variables, individually and collectively.

African-American students at xxx High School vs. African-American students in DOD school system

African-American students, from military families at xxx High School vs. African-American students in the DOD school system

African- American students from civilian families at xxx High School vs. African-American students from civilian families at xxx High School would also be interested in comparing the achievement levels of African-American students in geographically dispersed sections of the country who are attending civilian public high schools and DOD high schools. This may be information that can be used for a further study about demographics in high schools and if it affects civilian and military-based student populations differently.

I will use the data collected to support my assumptions and observations and determine if there is indeed a correlation between attending a civilian or DOD high school and the level of achievement.

My analysis will compare both school models and assess from my data what works and what doesn't in each school environment and why.

Finally, I hope to determine what the correlation is between achievement in African-American students in both school systems and how the SAT scores affect these levels.

Summary of Methodology have employed basic procedures for conducting the study for completing this paper. My methods support a paper that will be based on qualitative research.

In conducting this study, I am endeavoring to determine the affects of school environment, school system models, curriculum and socioeconomic factors on the achievement levels of African-American students.

A selected the criteria based on my hypothesis and seek to examine as much relevant information as possible to support the outcome of this study.

Chris Carter. "Measuring SAT." Daily Californian. March, 2001.

Fact Sheet. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Cambridge, MA. August 2001.

George A. Clowes. "Defense Dept. Knows How to Operate Good Schools, Too." School Reform News. January 2002.

Defense Department Taps Distance Learning Tools. www.wtonline.com.Volume13, No.22. February