ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 1

Case Study Data Collection: The Income Achievement Gap in Catholic Schools

John Thornton Davis

EDAD 618A (01) 23446, CSU San Marcos, Spring 2017

ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 2

Introduction

The purpose of this case study is to determine to what extent the income achievement gap

affects students with Catholic schools. This case study will focus on students currently attending

Mercy High School (MHS) in the rural Northern California community of Red Bluff. Mercy

High School is currently governed by and part of North Valley Regional Cluster of the

Sacramento Dioceses Catholic Schools Department (CSD). The school currently serves 108

students in grades 9-12 from Tehama, Shasta, Glen, and Butte Counties. As well roughly 20% of

the schools population are international students from countries including China, Korea, India,

Spain, Thailand, and Brazil. Due to its status as a Catholic School and because of the mission of

the original founding religious order of the school (Sisters of Mercy), the school will not turn

away students due to their inability to pay the $8,500 a year tuition. This is a model that most

Catholic schools within the diocese and region follow. Students who cannot pay full tuition are

offered reduced tuition and/or partial or full financial aid based upon parent/guardian income

levels and ability to pay. Said financial aid is funded through donations, endowments, and

school/CSD/Parish fundraising.

To determine the presence and extent of the income achievement gap at the school,

multiple forms of data will be analyzed. As MHS is a private Catholic school that does not

receive government funding and thus does not qualify for free and reduced meal programs, the

ability or inability to pay tuition will be analyzed to determine the income and socioeconomic

status of students households. As well, due to its private school status, MHS does not

participate in The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)

System that regulates standardized testing in the state. For this reason, PSAT scores will be

utilized in place of standardized testing data for this study. In addition to PSAT scores, students
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 3

GPAs, as well as attendance and behavior records will be cross referenced to determine if an

income based gap does exist at Mercy High School. The results should be further studied and if

possible be triangulated with data received from student surveys and interviews with student

sample groups to create a more holistic view of the issue. Additionally, the data reviewed should

be further analyzed to potentially identify causes for the gap as well as potential solutions,

procedures, or supports that are either already in place at the school or could be implemented to

narrow the gap.

Literature Review

The following literature review analyzes sources that discuss the presence and widening

of the income (based) achievement gap in American education including Catholic schools. The

sources included in this literature review were chosen based on their relevance to the overall

issue of the income achievement gap as well as their focus on potential solutions, and the effects

of the gap on private/religious/Catholic school. Achievement gaps of any kind including those

based on race, gender, sexuality, or income and socioeconomics are indicators of inequity within

school systems and hinder the prospect of American education being, as Horace Mann put it, the

great equalizer of society. However, while studies and research indicate that many

achievement gaps have narrowed since the 1960s, research like that of Dr. Sean Reardon of

Stanford University indicates that the income achievement gap has continued to widen as the

academic performance of students from wealthier families continues to far outpace that of their

peers from low and middle-income households. Researchers and educators indicate a plethora

of reasons why the income achievement gap persists in our country including but not limited to

access to enrichment opportunities, family status, and other academic, behavioral, social, mental,
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 4

and physical factors that affect children differently based on the income status of their

households.

Research and theories on how to narrow or solve the gap appear to be vast and as of yet

many ideas appear to be untested. Possible solutions offered include government and school-

based economic and funding reforms, family-based interventions and parental education,

increased time spent in schools, funding for early enrichment and extracurricular activities, and

even behavioral therapy. While the income achievement gap appears to be narrower in private

and religious schools, research has also been done to examine how the income achievement gap

affects students in private and religious based schools (including Catholic schools). To this

point, some researchers have indicated that the presence of a narrower income achievement gap

in said schools, may provide a source that public education can look to for potential solutions.

Defining and verifying the income achievement gap and its causes

Much of the current discussion on the income achievement gap stems from the research

of Dr. Sean Reardon of Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Education. Multiple articles,

journals, and educational blogs cite his research on the topic, but as Reardon notes, the

discussion has been around since 1966 when the Coleman Report famously highlighted the

relationship between family socioeconomic status and student achievement. (Reardon, 2012,

P.19) Addressing the issue from a sociological standpoint, Reardon maintains that as the income

gap in America has widened, so has the income-based achievement gap in schools with students

from high-income households outperforming their peers from middle and lower-income

households. Reardons studies utilize data from the National Assessment of Educational
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 5

Progress (NAEP) and other sources to compare math and reading scores/skill levels of children

of children within these groups.

Reardon provides multiple reasons why this gap continues to widen, citing among other

things, income inequality in America, differences in amounts families can and do invest in their

childrens cognitive development through enrichment activities, conversations, and the purchase

of books and other learning supplies. Family structure, parental education levels, and a trend in

segregation by income are also noted by Reardon. Additionally, researchers such as Evans and

Rosenbaum theorize that middle and lower-income households sometimes fail to teach

behavioral skills needed to succeed academically such as self-regulation and impulse control.

(2008) Another cause as noted in the article Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning

Gap (Alexander, Entwisle, & Olson, 2007) points to the lack of academic stimulation and

enrichment opportunities for low-income students during summer break. As well, in their 2008

study on teacher expectations based on gender and socioeconomic status (SES), researchers Amy

Auwarter and Mara Aruguete indicated teachers perceive students of low SES as less capable

and less motivate and therefore may not be challenged in the ways that their peers are. This

concept appears to have been backed up by a University of Kentucky study in 2013 (Boatwright,

Jones, Powell, Butz, & Usher, 2013)

The income achievement gap in private/Catholic schools

More research is needed to examine the extent of the impact of private, religious, and/or

Catholic schools on the income achievement gap. However as noted by Shields, Walsh, and

Lee-St-John in their 2016 study, Catholic Schools have a history of serving families living in
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 6

poverty, making Catholic schools a reasonable area of interest in the discussion. Many Catholic

schools due to their religious nature and missions will not refuse an education to children based

on their ability to pay tuition. In examining data from Catholic schools, this ability to pay tuition

is utilized in much the same way that Free and Reduced Meal Status is in determining the SES of

public school students.

In his 2007 study, Dr. William Jeynes makes the claim while race and income

achievement gaps exist in Christian/religious schools, they are considerably narrower than in

public schools. Jeynes utilizes data the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) and

meta-analysis to come to this conclusion, citing the religious impact on family status as well as

aspects of school culture including safety and demand for higher academic output as potential

reasons. It should be noted that in Shield, Walsh, and Lee-St. Johns 2016 study that while

overall Catholic School students performed higher on standardized testing, they believed that the

achievement gaps present were impacted more by the overall poverty level of the school.

Potential solutions for narrowing the income achievement gap

In The Widening Income Achievement Gap (2013), Reardon notes that because

achievement gaps are self-perpetuating, the earlier we intervene to reduce them and

recommends that states and districts devote more resources to early grades. As well, Reardon

stresses that states and districts should look at providing equitable access to and funding for

quality teachers, curriculum, and resources. Reardon also recommends exploring the option of

an increase in school hours or even an increased school year. Along this line, in 2014 the

California School Boards Association (CSBA) released a Legislative Fact Sheet that indicated
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 7

that during summer breaks, learning opportunities for low-income students were often

unavailable causing stagnation or even regression in their academic performance. CSBAs

solution to this is for site and district leaders to utilize funds from the LCFF to help fund summer

programs. While researchers offer many school-based reforms as potential solutions, they also

point out that the government may need to make economic reforms to assist low-income

households in being able to provide cognitively stimulating enrichment opportunities materials to

their children. This is not a new concept however as the studies like Maynard and Murnanes in

the late 1970s indicated that income supplements do in fact positively affect the academic

achievements of students from low-income households.

Conclusion of Literature Review

As indicated by the content discussed above, the widening income achievement gap is a

pressing issue of concern in American education. There are many concepts about how and why

income status negatively affects students education, researchers indicate that to narrow the gap,

both school based and economic based reforms must occur. However, as extensive as research

is on the general topic, more discussion and research must be done including a more thorough

examination of how the income achievement gap affects Catholic schools. This focus should

include, the extent of the income achievement gap in Catholic schools, what solutions might be

applicable to narrowing gap in Catholic schools, as well as what if any advantages Catholic

schools might have that can assist in finding solutions to the issue.
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 8

Data Collection

Mercy High Schools (MHS) population reflects a moderate to wide range of

demographics with regards to sex, class size (9-12th grade), race, language, and

international/exchange status. The following charts (Figure 1-4) provide insight into these

statistics. The data in Charts 1-4 was collected with the intention of providing a background and

deeper holistic understanding of the schools dynamics and culture. However, to determine if an

income achievement gap is present at the school, the demographic focus of this study will be

student tuition levels, GPA, and PSAT/SAT scores.

Figure 1: Student Demographics by Sex

Male (52) Female (55)

Figure 2: Student Demographics by Grade Level

Freshmen (24) Sophomores (22) Juniors (31) Seniors (30)

Figure 3: Students Demographics by Race

White (51) Hispanic/Latino (14) African American (1)

Asian (22) Mixed Race (12) Other/Decline to State (7)
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 9

Figure 4: Student Demographics by International Status and

Language

International Exchange Student ELL (22) ESL Proficient (6) Native English Speaker (79)

Due to Mercy High Schools private Catholic School status, it does not receive public

funding, including funding related to free and reduced meal programs that is typically utilized to

determine the income and/or socioeconomic levels of households of public school students. As

such, the comparable economic data to indicate income status examined in this study is the

ability of Mercy High School student households to pay full or partial tuition. As tuitions often

vary by student, for the purpose of this study the following tuition groups were established based

on the levels of tuition paid for the 2016-2017 school year (Table 1). The level of tuition that is

paid by student households is determined on an individual basis by school administration and

parents/guardians with consideration of financial restraints, income, etc.

Table 1: Student Tuition Level/Income Groups

(FI) Full International Tuition $10,000
(F) Full Standard Tuition $8,400
(D) Discounted Tuition (parent hours or sibling) $7,250
(P1) Partial Payment Level 1 (Financial Aid) $5000-7,249
(P2) Partial Payment Level 2 (Financial Aid) $30004,999
(P3) Partial Payment Level 3 (Financial Aid) $1-2,900

According to data collected from school financial reports, 46 of the 107 current students,

or 43% of the student population utilize some level of financial assistance (Figure 5). As Table 1

and Figure 6 indicate, this data may be further broken down into more specific levels. Through

this process, data indicates that 24 of the 46 students who pay partial tuition fall within the
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 10

lowest payment levels (Partial Payment Level 3), 16 students make payments within Level 2, and

6 students make payments in Level 1.

Figure 5 Student Tuition by Full or by Financial Assistance

Full International, Full, and Discount (61) Financial Assistance (46)

Figure 6: Student Demographics by Tuition Levels

(FI) Full International Tuition $10,000 (22)

(F) Full Standard Tuition $8,400 (1)
(D) Discounted Tuition (parent hours or sibling) $7,250 (20)
(P1) Partial Payment Level 1 (Financial Aid) $5000-7,249 (6)
(P2) Partial Payment Level 2 (Financial Aid) $3000--4,999 (16)
(P3) Partial Payment Level 3(Financial Aid) $1-2,999 (24)
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 11

Data Analysis

To identify if an income achievement gap present at Mercy High School the tuition data

was cross referenced with GPA and PSAT/SAT score averages (see Table 2 and Figures 7-10).

While the averaging of these academic indicators does not provide a review of individual student

success or struggles, it does provide insight into the academic progress of the varied income

groups at the schools. In examining the average GPA of students who pay full tuition (3.05)

versus the average GPA of students who do not (2.84) a gap did appear, however there is only .21

or difference between the two groups. PSAT/SAT score likewise indicated a minimal gap in

achievement with those who pay full tuition averaging a score of 975 and those who do not

averaging a score of 928.

Table 2: GPA, PSAT/SAT/Attendance/Behavior for all Student Tuition Level/Income Groups

Avg. PSAT & Avg. Attendance Avg. Documented

Income Group Avg. GPA SAT (missed) Behavior Incidents

FI 2.68 909 7.63 2.83

F 3.22 1014 7.65 0.8
D 3.28 981 7.45 0.65
P1 3.45 968 5.67 0.33
P2 2.69 955 7.94 1.47
P3 2.81 899 11.7 1.17

Full Tuition (FI, F, D) 3.05 975 7.58 1.02

Partial Tuition,
Financial Assistance
(P1, P2, P3) 2.84 928 9.56 1.2
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 12

Figure 7: Tuition Level Compared to GPA, Attendance, and

Behavior Incidents (Averages)
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Tuition Paid Full Tuition Paid in Full Tuition Paid with Partial Tuition Partial Tuition Partial Tuition
International $8,400 Discount (parent Payment (Financial Payment (Financial Payment (Financial
$10,000 hours or sibling) Aid) $5000-8499 Aid) $3000--4999 Aid) $1--2999
$7,250

Avg GPA Avg Attendance (missed) Avg Documented Behavior Incidents

Figure 8: Full Tuition Payment vs. Financial Assistance-

Comparied to GPA, Attendance, and Behavior Incidents
(Averages)
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Paid Tuition (Full International, Full, Discounted) Partial Tuition Paid (Financial Assistance Provided)

Avg GPA Avg Attendance (missed) Avg Documented Behavior Incidents

Figure 9: PSAT/SAT Average by Tuition Level

1050
1000
950
900
850
800
Tuition Paid in Full Tuition Paid Full Tuition Paid with Partial Tuition Partial Tuition Partial Tuition
$8,400 International Discount (parent Payment (Financial Payment (Financial Payment (Financial
$10,000 hours or sibling) Aid) $5000-8499 Aid) $3000--4999 Aid) $1--2999
$7,250

PSAT/SAT Average
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 13

Figure 10: Average PSAT/SAT Score

980

960

940

920

900
Paid Tuition (Full International, Full, Discounted) Partial Paid (Financial Assistance)

Avg PSAT/SAT Score

When broken down into the smaller more specific levels, the data provides a bit more

insight. The gap in academic averages between international students paying the higher full rate

of $10,000 a year (FI) and students who pay the least amount of tuition (P3) is much narrower

than the overall gap. In fact, the average GPA of the FI group was lower than levels P1, P2, and

P3 levels, and was actually .13 lower than students who paid the least tuition (P3). Many factors

such as language comprehension, adjustment to a new school, country, and/or culture may

account for this and further research should be done to analyze the issue.

In contrast, the gap in GPA averages increase slightly between students who pay full

tuition excluding international ELL students (groups F and D) and students who do not pay full

tuition (groups P1, P2, P3) (see Table 3). In this case, groups F and D had a combined GPA

average of 3.25 whereas Groups P1, P2, and P3 had a combined GPA average of 2.84.

Interestingly, the largest gap was not between Group F which paid full tuition and Group P3 that

paid the least, instead the greatest disparity between average GPAs was between Group P1 which

received the least amount of tuition assistance and group P3.

ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 14

Table 3: GPA, PSAT/SAT/Attendance/Behavior for Student Tuition Level/Income Groups Excluding F1

Avg. Avg. PSAT & Avg. Attendance Avg. Documented

Income Group GPA SAT (missed) Behavior Incidents

FI
F 3.22 1014 7.65 0.8
D 3.28 981 7.45 0.65
P1 3.45 968 5.67 0.33
P2 2.69 955 7.94 1.47
P3 2.81 899 11.7 1.17

Full (F & D) Tuition 3.25 997 7.55 0.73

Partial Tuition, Financial
Assistance (P1, P2, P3) 2.84 928 9.56 1.2

Analysis of PSAT and SAT score averages likewise indicated a small overall gap between

students who pay full tuition (975 average score) and those who receive tuition assistance (928

average score) (see Table 2, Figures 9 and 10). Again, when removing the international

exchange ELL students (group FI) from the data set the achievement gap widens to an average

score of 997 for students paying full tuition (groups F and D) compared to the 928 average for

students receiving assistance (groups P1, P2, P3). However, unlike the gap indicated when

examining GPA averages, when examining the PSAT and SAT score averages based upon

specific income groups, the gap between Group F and Group P3 is 115 points. As well, data

indicates a consistent drop in PSAT and SAT score averages from income level to income level

(see Table 3).

In addition to the academic data of GPAs and PSAT/SAT scores, and in consideration of

some of the research noted in the Literature Review, behavioral data was also collected to be

analyzed. As the data in Tables 3 indicates, there appears to be an increase in both absences and

documented behavior incidents between groups F and D and P1, P2, P3. This data indicates that

Students in the lower income group miss an average of 2 days more than other students and are
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 15

more likely to receive a documented behavior incident (discipline referral). Further research

will need to be done to determine if this data results contributes to an income gap, are a symptom

of an income gap, or if it is even related to the gap.

Conclusion

Data indicates that there is in fact a small achievement gap between Mercy High School

students who pay full tuition and those who receive financial assistance. As well, discounting

the data from the 22 international students who are paying full tuition due to outside factors,

shows a slightly greater achievement gap between the two income groups. In consideration of

the academic data as well the behavioral data reviewed, it appears that additional supports for

lower income students must be put in place at Mercy High School. However, to better

understand the correlation between the academic and behavioral data as well as to define what

sorts of effective supports should be put in place, additional research must be done.
ASSIGNMENT 3- CASE STUDY DATA COLLECTION 16

References

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Auwarter, A., & Aruguete, M. (2008). Effects of student gender and socioeconomic status on

teacher perceptions. The Journal of Educational Research, 101(4), 243-246. Retrieved

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Boatwright, A. R., Jones, A. S., Powell, L. R., Butz, A. R., & Usher, E. L. (2013, April). Judging

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