For DCPS students in grades 6 to 8, achievement gains under new principals were larger and statistically significant in both math and reading¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr?·q2
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2017: local conditions change quickly
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? For students in grades 6 to 8, achievement gains under new principals were larger than for other grades and statistically significant in both math and reading. → Elias Walsh 2014
Evidence¶
Elias Walsh 2014¶
Elias Walsh, Dallas Dotter. (2014). The Impact of Replacing Principals on Student Achievement in DC Public Schools (In Focus Brief). Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/in-focus-brief-the-impact-of-replacing-principals-on-student-achievement-in-dc-public-schools
q2 · i? · causal · r?
Grade-level subgroup result from the DCPS principal-replacement analysis. The brief reports that for "students in grades 6 to 8" gains were larger and statistically significant in both subjects; no test statistic or effect size is printed in the brief.
"For students in grades 6 to 8, the gains were larger and statistically significant in both math and reading."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- In the 2008-2009 school year, 39 percent of DCPS principals (51 individuals) did not return, as part of Chancellor Rhee's replacement reforms following mayoral control — related
- Achievement gains under new principals were larger and happened faster in DCPS middle schools than in elementary schools — related
- New principals' math achievement gains followed a similar trend to reading but were smaller — related
- It took three years for new DCPS principals to achieve measurable achievement gains, with no evidence of even temporary declines — a broader claim this one bears on
- After three years with a new principal, the average DCPS student's reading achievement increased by 4 percentile points (0.09 standard deviations) relative to retained-principal comparison schools — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
- The DC school reforms were associated with learning gains in grade 8 math but not in grade 8 reading — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
dcps-grades-6-8-gains-significant-both-subjects |
title |
For DCPS students in grades 6 to 8, achievement gains under new principals were larger and statistically significant in both math and reading |
description |
For DCPS students in grades 6 to 8, achievement gains under new principals were larger and statistically significant in both math and reading |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2014 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
recheck_by |
2017 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — elias-walsh-2014 |
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