Los Angeles County posseses a staggering mix of wealth and poverty.
Naturally these factors have a profound impact on educational outcomes.
And contribute to the perception that many of the county's schools - particularly those in Los Angeles' urban core and in the San Fernando Valley - are failing their students.
However, a closer look at the data reveals a handful of positive outliers - schools with high proficiency rates where high proficiency rates are not expected.
A three-step process was to validate the positive outliers and create a view of school performance that accounts for each school's student and neighborhood mix.
Step 1: Using three key indicators of student performance and a set of neighborhood factors, build a statistical model that predicts CAASPP proficiency rates for all traditional public and charter schools in California:
\(Proficiency = B_0 +B_1LowIncomePct. + B_2StudentsOfColorPct.+B_3ELLPct. + B_4Neighborhood\)
Step 2: For each year and subject, calculate the difference between each school's expected and actual proficiency rates:
\(Proficiency Against Expectations = Actual Proficiency - Expected Proficiency\)
Step 3: Use this new measure - each school's proficiency against expectations - to obtain a clearer view of the schools, independent of their local context, that are producing positive outcomes for students and the schools that need additional support.
Primary School Spotlight: Maywood Elementary
Middle School Spotlight: Luther Burbank Middle School
Secondary School Spotlight: James A. Garfield Senior High School
The end result of this approach is a view of school performance that is largely isolated from the confounding effects of poverty.
And when considered in light of Los Angeles County's neighborhoods, this approach provides a strategic view of where better educational options are most needed.