Teacher and School Characteristics: Predictors of Student Achievement in Georgia Public Schools

Authors

Alisande F. Mayer
Ellen W. Wiley
Larry P. Wiley
Dianne C. Dees
Simmie A. Raiford

Abstract

Student achievement of fifth-grade students in 106 Georgia public schools in CRCT reading and mathematics was examined as a function of five characteristics of teachers and schools. The five independent variables used as predictors of CRCT scores were Title I status, teachers’ education level, teachers’ average years of experience, class size, and computer to student ratio. Designation as a Title I school was the strongest predictor of student achievement. When compared to non-Title I schools, Title I school status resulted in a higher percentage of students meeting CRCT standards in both reading and math and a lower percentage of students exceeding standards in both reading and mathematics. However, Title I school status also resulted in a higher percentage of students meeting standards on both the CRCT reading and mathematics. Class size seemed to have very little relationship to the overall achievement of fifth-grade students. Teacher quality revealed mixed, though generally positive results when correlated with student achievement. Even though Title I designation is indicative of positive outcomes for CRCT scores, these positive outcomes do not hold for every predictor.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Mayer, Alisande F.; Wiley, Ellen W.; Wiley, Larry P.; Dees, Dianne C.; and Raiford, Simmie A. (2016) "Teacher and School Characteristics: Predictors of Student Achievement in Georgia Public Schools," Georgia Educational Researcher: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.20429/ger.2016.130103
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gerjournal/vol13/iss1/3