Equity or Exclusion:  the Dynamics of Resources, Demographics, and Behavior in the New York City Public Schools

The following highlights fromEquity or Exclusion concern the relationship between resources and student behavior and the equitable distribution of resources in New York City's public schools from 1998-99 through 2000-01.  You can download the full report below.

Resources

Compared to other schools, students in schools with higher concentrations of poverty and schools with higher concentrations of black and/or Hispanic students were less likely to have:

• Fully licensed teachers
• Teachers with five or more years’ experience
• Teachers with master’s degrees
• CD-ROM and Internet access in middle and high school
• Access to library books in high school
• A certified school librarian in high school

Behavior measures  

• High school students’ behavior and administrative responses to students’ behavior varied according to race:
• Black students were three times more likely to be suspended than whites students.
• Hispanic students were over twice more likely to drop out than white students.
• Both black and Hispanic students were over twice more likely to repeat ninth grade than white students.

Resources and behavior measures  

• Student behavior varied according to school characteristics.
• Students at all school levels stayed out of trouble more in schools with more qualified teachers.
• Students attended more in high schools that had career programs and extra-curricular activities.
• High school suspension rates for all racial groups were lower in schools with above average teacher attendance rates.
• High school suspension rates for all racial groups were lower in schools with above average concentrations of white and Asian students, and these schools tended to have more educational resources.
• Compared to larger high schools, those with fewer than 1,500 students had lower black and Hispanic ninth grade repeat rates.