Using State NAEP Data to Examine Patterns in 8th Grade Mathematics Achievement and the Efficacy of State Education Policy Initiatives

This project will investigate the persistent gap in mathematics achievement between White and Black students using NAEP 8th grade mathematics data for 1992, 1996 and 2000 from a selected group of states. The project will explore the relationship between White and Black students' mathematics achievement and their home environment, family context, and opportunity to learn, and attempt to determine to what extent these relationships are accounted for by the characteristics of the students' schools.