Beyond Test Scores: What Really Shapes Student Success in America

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Why Your Child's Academic Success May Have Little to Do with Their School

As parents, we often agonize over which school district to live in or whether private education is worth the investment. We research school rankings and teaching philosophies, believing these choices will determine our children's academic trajectory.

But what if I told you that the type of school your child attends might matter far less than other factors in your home?

My recent research examining data from over 4,800 American 15-year-olds reveals something surprising: when it comes to reading, math, and science performance, family background factors overwhelmingly outweigh school characteristics.

The Hidden Drivers of Academic Achievement

In 2018, American students participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a global test measuring 15-year-olds' abilities in reading, math, and science. By analyzing this comprehensive dataset, I uncovered patterns that challenge common assumptions about educational success.

The research shows that student achievement is primarily shaped by:

• Parents' education and occupation - perhaps the strongest predictor of academic outcomes
• Ethnicity and race - substantial performance gaps persist despite decades of awareness
• Home language environment - particularly impactful for Spanish-speaking families
• Gender - with subject-specific advantages for boys and girls

Meanwhile, factors like school type (public vs. private) and location (urban vs. rural) showed minimal impact on student performance.

The Parent Effect: Education and Occupation Matter

The most powerful predictor of student achievement? Parental background.

Students whose parents held advanced degrees scored dramatically higher across all subjects compared to peers whose parents had less education. This advantage was consistent and substantial—equivalent to multiple grade levels of learning.

Similarly, children of parents in higher-status occupations significantly outperformed their peers from families where parents worked in lower-status jobs.

Why does this matter? Because it highlights how advantages accumulate across generations. Parents with higher education levels typically:

• Have more resources to support learning
• May be more comfortable engaging with educational institutions
• Often create home environments rich in educational conversations
• Can better navigate educational systems to advocate for their children

The Ethnicity Gap: Persistent and Pronounced

The data revealed concerning patterns in how academic performance varies by ethnicity. White and Asian students consistently outperformed Black and Hispanic peers across all subjects, with the largest gaps appearing in mathematics.

For perspective, the performance difference between Black and White students in math was equivalent to over two years of schooling—a gap that has persisted despite decades of educational reforms.

Importantly, this research doesn't tell us why these gaps exist, but points to systemic issues rather than individual capabilities. Historical inequities in educational access, neighborhood resources, and economic opportunities likely contribute to these persistent differences.

Language Matters: The Home Language Effect

Students who spoke Spanish at home scored significantly lower across subjects compared to English-speaking peers. This effect remained even after controlling for other factors like parent education and immigration status.

This finding highlights how linguistic barriers can impact educational outcomes. When students navigate between different languages at home and school, they face additional challenges:

• They may struggle with academic vocabulary
• Parents might find it harder to assist with homework
• Test questions may contain cultural contexts unfamiliar to them

Gender Differences: Subject-Specific Advantages

One of the most intriguing findings concerns gender differences across subjects. While girls significantly outperformed boys in reading, boys showed a slight edge in mathematics. Science performance was more balanced.

These patterns align with global trends and raise important questions about how we socialize children around academic subjects and whether teaching approaches might inadvertently favor certain learning styles.

What About Schools? Less Impact Than You Might Think

Perhaps most surprising was how little impact school type and location had on student performance. After accounting for student background factors:

• Private schools showed no significant advantage over public schools
• Urban schools demonstrated only minimal advantages over rural schools

This doesn't mean schools don't matter—they absolutely do. But it suggests that the differences between schools may be less important than the backgrounds and resources students bring with them.

Why This Matters: Implications for Parents and Policy

These findings carry profound implications for how we approach education:

1. For parents: While school choice matters, investing in home learning environments and educational engagement may yield greater returns. Reading with children, discussing ideas, and demonstrating the value of education through everyday conversations can significantly impact academic development.
2. For educators: Understanding the powerful influence of background factors can help teachers develop approaches that counteract disadvantages. This might include culturally responsive teaching methods, language-inclusive practices, and interventions specifically designed to address achievement gaps.
3. For policymakers: Truly addressing educational inequity requires looking beyond schools to address broader social factors. Programs supporting parent education, early childhood interventions, and economic policies that reduce income inequality may do more to improve educational outcomes than focusing solely on school reforms.

Building a More Equitable Educational Future

The research suggests several promising approaches to reduce these disparities:

• Targeted support programs designed specifically for historically underserved populations
• Teacher training in culturally responsive pedagogies that validate diverse experiences
• Parental engagement initiatives that empower all families to support learning
• Hiring diverse educators who can serve as role models and mentors

While this study cannot definitively establish cause-and-effect relationships, it clearly identifies where significant gaps exist and which factors deserve greater attention.

The Bottom Line

Academic achievement isn't simply about which school a child attends. It's shaped by a complex interplay of family, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic factors that begin influencing children long before they enter a classroom.

By understanding these influences, we can work more effectively toward an educational system that genuinely serves all students—not just those lucky enough to be born into advantageous circumstances.

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Citation:

Ghimire, N. (2024). Understanding disparities: Examining demographic, socioeconomic, and linguistic impacts on U.S. students’ outcomes in reading, math, and science. Advance. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.31124/advance.24226158.v1

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Pull Quotes:

"When it comes to reading, math, and science performance, family background factors overwhelmingly outweigh school characteristics. The type of school your child attends might matter far less than other factors in your home."

"Parents' education level emerged as the strongest predictor of student achievement—equivalent to multiple grade levels of learning. These advantages accumulate across generations, creating persistent educational gaps that schools alone cannot address."

"Academic achievement isn't simply about which school a child attends. It's shaped by a complex interplay of family, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic factors that begin influencing children long before they enter a classroom."