Examining the Unexpected: Outlier Analyses of Factors Affecting Student Achievement

Abstract

In this study, we predicted achievement based on a variety of school demographic and background variables and identified schools that had achievement profiles that exceeded or fell short of their expected achievement levels. We identified schools that were over-or underper-forming and surveyed parents, teachers, and administrators in an effort to isolate factors that differ across the two types of schools. Across the three sets of surveys, perceptions of parents and perceptions about parents emerged as an interesting area of difference. Although parents in the positive and negative outlier schools reported similar perceptions about parent/teacher communication, teachers and administrators in the positive outlier schools appeared to have more positive perceptions of parents. Specifically, these teachers perceived the parents in their school as being more involved in their children's education, and they encouraged high levels of parent involvement. Certainly, these more positive attitudes may help educators work more effectively with parents, building a more effective partnership to increase student achievement. Perhaps consequently, parents in the positive outlier schools reported greater satisfaction with their schools than parents in the negative outlier schools did. This study found that parental involvement and parental perceptions were key variables that helped to explain differences of the over-and underachieving schools. Thus, communication and collaboration among parents, teachers, and staff appear to be critical factors predicting the success of low-SES schools.