The Causal Impact of Systematic, Elementary School Student Support on Middle School Grade Retention

• Main Author: Lee-St. John, Terrence J.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Boston College 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3700

Thesis advisor: Henry Braun === City Connects (CCNX) was developed as a codified student support practice for schools serving students in grades K-5. CCNX addresses each student's unique pattern of needs and strengths by putting a system in place that designs and coordinates custom support plans which connect each student and, when suitable, their families, to prevention, intervention, and enrichment opportunities provided by community agencies and the school district. CCNX hopes to promote student thriving by addressing factors that are directly related to academics, as well as those that are related to out-of-school domains such as social/emotional, health, and family. This study estimates the causal effect of CCNX on the probability of being retained in grade during middle school (grades 6-8). The quasi-experiemental analysis addresses four likely sources of bias in effect estimates: (1) selection, (2) multiple treatment versions due to the individualized nature of the intervention, (3) multiple treatment versions due to modifications of the intervention over time, and (4) multiple treatment versions due to different exposure schedules. Stratification and propensity score weighted two-level logistic regression models are utilized to estimate a matrix of cell-specific, causal treatment-effects. Patterns in the matrix of estimates are summarized using weighted least squares ANCOVA. Results do not reveal that the magnitude of the treatment-effect varies as a function of cohort, exposure schedule, or risk level of students. However, the study does find that, on average, students who are exposed to CCNX have a significantly lower probability of being retained in grade during middle school: relative to comparison students, CCNX students are approximately half as likely to be retained. Findings underscore the promise of elementary school, student support as a strategy for impacting long-term educational outcomes. === Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. === Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. === Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation.