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University of California, Santa Barbara
The impact of attitudes and behaviors on the educational achievement gap in early elementary school
One of the major education policy issues is improving students' academic achievement. Previous research has shown that some racial or ethnic groups, particularly under-performing Black and Hispanic students, are at a disadvantage in terms of academic success when compared to Asian and White groups. The purpose of this study is to extend existing research on academic achievement by examining differences in the attitudes and behaviors of the students across four racial and ethnic groups (White, Black, Latino, and Asian). Data for this study will utilize the first four years of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). ECLS-K is one of several studies conducted and designed by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics that focuses on children's early school experiences with interviews taken from parents, teachers, and school principals. This study will use a multi-group structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the data. Hopefully, findings from this study may provide information for teachers and policy makers in addressing appropriate interventions for students with attitude and behavioral problems that may hinder their school performance.
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