Mitigating Disadvantage: Effects of Small-Scale Schooling on Student Achievement in Alaska

Abstract

Controlling for three domains ofbackground variables (school resources, school climate, and student academic background), this study investigated the hypothesis thatschool size mediates the effect of disadvan­ taged status on the achievement of individual students. The group studied included all students in grades 4 (N =5,589), 6 (N =3,930), and8 (N =4,034) who hadcontinuously attended the same school district for at least four years priorto their participation in the fall1989 Alaska Statewide Student TestingProgram. Data were analyzed with multiple regression analysis with three domains ofbackground variables controlled. Results indicated that, although theaverage achievementscore was lower for students in smallschools than in large schools, (a) the negative effect ofdisadvantaged background on student achievement wassignificantly less in small than in medium orlarge schools and (b) the interaction ofdisadvantaged status and school size explains additional variance in student achievement.