Concentrated poverty in New Mexico is associated with lower grade-level proficiency and inequitable access to experienced teachers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r1–r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? On average, 40% fewer students were learning at grade level in mathematics in high-poverty schools compared to peers in schools serving lower concentrations of low-income students. → Oakes 2020 q2 i? Schools where at least 75% of students come from low-income families had an average of 36% first- or second-year teachers, versus 19% at schools with poverty rates of 25% or less. → Oakes 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Oakes 2020¶

Oakes, J., & Espinoza, D. (2020). Community schools the New Mexico way. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/improving-education-new-mexico-way

q2 · i? · associational · r1

LPI's new analysis of NMPED district report card and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility data (2017–18), shown in Figure 2: high-poverty schools had 17% of students meeting grade-level math standards versus 44% in all other schools. The 40% figure is the report's own printed comparison.

"on average, 40% fewer students were learning at grade level in mathematics in high-poverty schools compared to their peers in schools serving lower concentrations of students from low-income backgrounds."

Oakes 2020 (2)¶

Oakes, J., & Espinoza, D. (2020). Community schools the New Mexico way. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/improving-education-new-mexico-way

q2 · i? · associational · r2

LPI analysis of New Mexico Public Education Department data (2018–19), shown in Figure 3, comparing inexperienced-teacher percentages between high-poverty and low-poverty schools. Both percentages are printed in the text.

"On average, 36% of teachers in schools where at least 75% of students come from low-income families were first- or second-year teachers. This is far higher than the 19% average at schools with the lowest poverty rates (schools with poverty rates of 25% or less)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Students in the highest-poverty schools are almost twice as likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers — related
• New Mexico's K–3 Plus evaluation found faithful implementation raised proficiency, with the largest gains for low-income students — related
• Teachers with the lowest value-added and observation scores are overrepresented in schools serving the most disadvantaged students — related
• Teacher turnover is 35%–37% higher in schools with the largest concentrations of students of color and students from low-income backgrounds than in schools with the smallest — related
• School test score averages are strongly related to the income of the families a school serves — related
• Access to mentors and coaches is inequitably distributed, with high-poverty schools far less likely to have supported principals — related
• Access to high-quality principal learning varies by school poverty level: principals in high-poverty schools report fewer opportunities — related