THE HANDCUFFS OF POVERTY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN A LARGE URBAN DISTRICT

In this study, the researcher uses quantitative methods to examine the extent to which Title I funding helps public schools with large populations of economically-disadvantaged students increase student academic achievement in reading and math in grades 3–5, and whether the leaders of these schools utilize specific social justice actions identified through a review of literature. The researcher gathers grade level student proficiency data for students in grades 3–5 and performs a bivariate correlation and a simple regression analysis to determine the extent to which identified schools receiving Title I funds are able to increase student proficiency rates over a three-year period. The researcher further analyzes the data through a social justice lens to determine possible social justice solutions to the persistent problem of the income-achievement gap.