The research question examines how the high school allotment expenditure between 2019 and 2021 affects graduation rates among students in Bexar County. This question leads to two competing hypotheses that will guide my analysis.
## Paper Title: Does Texas High School Allotment Funding make High School Students “Future Ready”? A Bexar County Case StudyThe null hypothesis speculates the high school allotment expenditure between 2019 and 2021 has no significant effect on graduation rates among students in Bexar County school districts. In other words, under the null hypothesis, variations in the amount of high school allotment funding that districts receive would not be associated with any meaningful differences in their graduation rates. This hypothesis represents the skeptical position that additional targeted funding for high schools does not translate into improved student outcomes, at least as measured by graduation rates.
# Null Hypothesis: The high school allotment expenditure between 2019 and 2021 has no significant effect on graduation rates among students in Bexar CountyThe alternative hypothesis proposes a higher high school allotment expenditure between 2019 and 2021 is associated with significantly higher graduation rates among students in Bexar County school districts. This hypothesis reflects the policy expectation that investing more resources specifically in high school programs and services should enable districts to better support students toward graduation. The alternative hypothesis aligns with the position that suggests adequate resources are necessary for schools to provide the support structures, programs, and personnel that help students succeed academically and reach graduation.
# Alternative Hypothesis: A higher high school allotment expenditure between 2019 and 2021 is associated with significantly higher graduation rates among students in Bexar CountyThe unit of analysis for this study is school districts within Bexar County, meaning that each observation in the dataset represents a distinct school district measured across the three-year period from 2019 to 2021. The dependent variable is the graduation rate, which serves as the outcome measure representing the percentage of students within each district who successfully complete high school. The primary independent variable of interest is high school allotment expenditure, which represents the specific funding allocated to high schools within each district through Texas’s school finance formula. To isolate the effect of this funding mechanism on graduation rates, the analysis will include several control variables including total per-pupil expenditure, district enrollment size (by range), student-teacher ratio, percentage of students receiving special education services, percentage of English Learners (EL), percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and the racial and ethnic composition of students within each district. Additionally, year will be included as a control variable to account for time-specific factors, including the significant disruptions to education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-2021 school year.
# Unit of Analysis: School Districts in Bexar County
# Dependent Variable: The Graduation Rate
# Independent Variable: Highschool Allotment Expenditure
# Additional Idependent/Control Variables:
# Racial/Ethnic Composition of Students
# % Economically Disadvanaged Students
# % of English Learners (EL) Students
# % Special Education Students
# Number of Students Per Teacher (Ratio)
# Total Actual Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil
# District Enrollment Size by Range
# Year: 2019, 2020, 2021