Keywords

educational leadership, elementary school size, student achievement, FCAT

Abstract

Student achievement is the cornerstone of educational intuitions. Having a comprehensive understanding of what factors into having a successful student achievement rate requires the use of previous research and analyzing of historical accounts. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in student achievement when elementary school size was a factor. The analysis of the results offered beneficial information pertaining to Florida's public schools while providing a stepping stone towards future research. The results of this study and subsequent studies can provide information and guidance to decision makers regarding school size relative to student achievement. The population for this data was obtained from the Florida Department of Education's Florida Schools Indicator Reports. Three elementary schools were selected from each school district in the state of Florida based on its student enrollment. A small school consisted of an enrollment of 1-300 students, a medium school consisted of 301-500 students, and a school was considered large if its enrollment was 600 students or more. From these schools, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics and reading scores were analyzed. Analysis of the data revealed that there was no statistically significant difference found for student achievement in mathematics when school size was a factor. However, there was a statistically significant difference found in student achievement in reading. The significance was found to lie between medium and large schools, with large schools scoring significantly better than medium schools.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2009

Advisor

Murray, Kenneth

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Educational Research, Technology, and Leadership

Degree Program

Educational Leadership

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002696

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002696

Language

English

Release Date

February 2010

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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