Page 81 - Volume 4 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 79 White students comprised approximately 16% of charter school students in Texas compared to almost 31% of traditional public school students during school year 2012-2013 (Alexander, Juniper, Farber, & Wilkinson, 2014). Zimmer et al. (2009) reviewed student demographic scores in Texas charter schools and found results for White students lagged all other students in their seven state study. Black students attend charter schools in greater percentages than they do traditional public schools. Almost 22% of all students in charter schools were identified as Black as compared with only 12% of traditional public school students during school year 2012-2013 (Alexander et al., 2014). The Zimmer et al. (2009) study reviewed Black student scores in Texas charter schools and found negative results when comparing student performance to those students in traditional public schools. Students of Hispanic descent comprised the majority of students in both Texas charter schools and traditional public schools during school year 2012-2013. Hispanic charter school students exceeded their traditional public school peers 56% to 51% in school year 2012-2013 (Alexander et al., 2014). Hispanic charter school student mathematics and reading results showed negative outcomes when compared alongside traditional public school students. During school year 2012-2013, students identified as Economically Disadvantaged attended charter schools in greater percentages than they did traditional public schools. Economically Disadvantaged student attendance at charter schools totaled 70% compared to 60% of all students at traditional public schools (Alexander et al., 2014). Economically Disadvantaged students who attended Texas charter schools illustrated better achievement than similarly situated students in traditional public schools in mathematics and reading. Data Collection All data collected for the current study were secondary in nature and available from databases administered by the Texas Education Agency. A normally distributed census sample was sought for each school represented in the current study to provide data for the independent and dependent variables. Data for the independent variable, the amount of school funding provided to each campus identified in the study for each student, was extracted from Public Education Information Management System District Financial Actual Reports for the 2014-2015 school year. Data for the dependent variable was acquired via a public information request made to the Texas Education Agency. The request solicited demographic and assessment information for students in attendance at the identified open enrollment charter schools and traditional public schools during school year 2014-2015 while maintaining student confidentiality. The initial data request to the Texas Education Agency resulted in inadequate sample sizes in four open enrollment charter school student demographic and assessment areas: Economically Disadvantaged Mathematics, Black Reading, Hispanic Reading, and Economically Disadvantaged Reading. The researcher submitted a second information request seeking student assessment information from Texas Education Service Center Region X. Table 2 provides a summary of statistical results illustrating the relationship between total school funding and Grade 8 student Mathematics assessment results in traditional public schools and open enrollment charter schools. Greater disparity existed between traditional public schools and open enrollment charter schools when measuring the significance, direction, and effect size of the statistical measure predicting the relationship between total school funding, the independent variable, and Grade 8 student demographic outcomes on the STAAR Reading assessment, which served as the dependent variable. Table 3 provides a summary of statistical results illustrating the relationship between total school funding and Grade 8 student Reading assessment results in traditional public schools and open enrollment charter schools. Summary of Findings and Interpretation of Results Several findings emerged from the current study detailing the relationship between the independent and dependent variables in both types of schools.