Affiliation:
1. Stanford University
2. U.S. Census Bureau
3. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
4. University of California, Irvine
Abstract
Many educational policies hinge on the valid measurement of student economic disadvantage at the school level. Measures based on free and reduced-price lunch enrollment are used widely. However, recent research raises questions about their reliability, particularly following the introduction of universal free lunch in certain schools and districts. Using unique data linking the universe of students in Oregon public schools to IRS tax records and other data housed at the U.S. Census Bureau, we provide the first examination of how well different measures capture school economic disadvantage. We find that, in Oregon, direct certification provides the best widely available measure, both over time and across the distribution of school economic disadvantage. By contrast, neighborhood-based measures consistently perform relatively poorly.
Funder
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Publisher
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Reference55 articles.
1. Gains and Gaps: Changing Inequality in U.S. College Entry and Completion
2. Belsha K. (2023). More students eating for free as growing number of states offer universal school meals. Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/8/10/23827877/free-school-meals-lunch-breakfast-universal-programs-states-students/
3. Burnette I. I. D. (2020, October 28). Districts anxious about plunge in meal-program applicants. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/districts-anxious-about-plunge-in-meal-program-applicants/2020/10
4. California Department of Education. (2021). LCFF frequently asked questions. https://s3.amazonaws.com/2019.funded.edbuild.org/public/citations/617_LCFF%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions.pdf