Grant Description:
Katherine Michelmore, Ph.D., Syracuse University Department of Public Administration and International Affairs and Peter Rich, Ph.D., Cornell University’s Department of Policy Analysis and Management.
A long line of research finds that poor children have lower test scores and are less likely to complete high school and go to college compared to their higher-income peers. Less is known about how variation in the experience of disadvantage across childhood is associated with these outcomes. This study will use both administrative and survey data to 1) illustrate the dynamics of disadvantage a child experiences throughout primary and secondary school, 2) understand the common household factors associated with transitions on and off of disadvantage, and 3) analyze how patterns of disadvantage are associated with education outcomes. Importantly, this project develops a toolkit for educational researchers to describe student socioeconomic background even with limited administrative data. Results from the analysis will inform researchers and policymakers on common patterns of childhood disadvantage, the factors associated with transitions in and out of disadvantage, and how these patterns are associated with educational outcomes.