The Influence of District Size, School Size and Socioeconomic Status on Student Achievement in Washington: A Replication Study using Hierarchical Linear Modeling

Foreword

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the role that school size plays in creating effective learning environments for students. Serious questions have been raised about the "bigger is better" approach to schools, and policy makers are asking researchers if there are research findings on this important topic. In fact, there have been numerous studies, both quantitative and qualitative, strongly suggesting students generally do better in smaller schools than larger schools.

Such a study published in the year 2000 on education in the state of Georgia caught the interest of the Urban Issues Committee of the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA). Recognizing that such research findings have direct policy implications, the Association approached the Washington School Research Center (WSRC) about replicating the study in the state of Washington. Through the joint sponsorship of WSSDA and WSRC, this technical report is a replication of that study using achievement, poverty, school and district size data from Washington State.

The research findings on school size show that the question is a complex one, and that there are numerous factors that might interact with school size to account for variation in student and school performance. Using a statistical procedure called Hierarchical Linear Modeling, WSRC researchers Abbott, Joireman, and Stroh attempt to identify the ways in which district size, school size, and family income level interact to effect student achievement.

Replication research across states is difficult because of differing state tests, grade structures, data bases, and other factors. And, in fact, while this study replicates the general approach used in the Georgia study, it does differ in some significant ways. First, WASL scores were used for this study rather than the ITBS; second, because of questions about the reliability of the high school poverty data, 4th and 7th grade data were analyzed, while the Georgia study analyzed 8th and 11th grade data. Still, the results presented here complement the original findings and add to the body of research that strongly suggests that school size and district size do matter.

The WSRC researchers conclude: "We found that large district size is detrimental to achievement in Washington 4th and 7th grades in that it strengthens the negative relationship between school poverty and student achievement." Further, they state, "the negative relationship between school poverty and achievement is stronger in larger districts," and "small schools appear to have the greatest equity effects." In other words, when school poverty is high, children perform better in small districts, and the effect of school level poverty on achievement is smallest when both the district and school are small.

Jeffrey T. Fouts, Ed.D. Executive Director
Washington School Research Center
Lynnwood, WA

full report (PDF Download)

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