Degree Name
Master of Arts
Graduate Program
Economics
Advisor
Watts, Alison
Abstract
Using Illinois State Board of Education data from 2017-2024, this paper analyzes the effects of black and low income enrollment, spending per pupil, chronic absenteeism, mobility rates, principal turnover and teacher retention rates on student proficiency at the school level. The data includes demographic information, test scores, mobility rates, attendance rates, teacher retention rates, principal turnover, and state and federal spending per school per pupil. Using fixed effects ordinary least squares regressions, it is found that the enrollment percentages of black and low income students are negatively correlated with students’ proficiency. Mobility rates, principal turnover, and chronic absenteeism are also linked to lower proficiency levels. Spending and teacher retention are associated with higher math and ELA proficiency levels to a much smaller degree, suggesting that the strategy of spending more to raise test scores is flawed, and that instead more attention should be given to at risk students.