Jacqueline Aguilar (in collaboration with Jin Chong)

Do Black and Latino-American children perform differently on Math and Reading?

Do Black and Latino-American children perform differently on Math and Reading?

We wanted to compare math and reading performances between Latino and Black students. We compared and conducted correlation tests between three different Title 1 schools in Hillsborough County. We collected data from assigned classrooms of the 25 interns in the Residency program. Although we collected data from all students in the particular classrooms, we only focused on Latino and Black students. We collected data such as race, gender, math and reading levels, stroop test scores, whom they live with, how many siblings they have, if they were retained, and if they were ELLs. Overall there were 364 children in the sample including 190 (52.2%) boys and 174 (47.8%) girls In terms of the childrens racial backgrounds, 36 (9.90%) were White race, 171

(46.9%) were Black, 141 (38.7%) were Latino race, and 16 (4.40%) others. In reading, out of the 171 Black children, 75 were below level, 69 were on level, 26 were above level, and there was no data for one student. In reading, out of the 141 Latino students, 65 Latino students were below level, 52 were on level, 23 were above level, and there was 1 student whom data was not collected for. In math, 36 Black students were below level, 118 were on level, and 10 were above level; there were 7 students that data was not collected for. In math, 52 Latino students were below level, 72 were on level, 9 were above level, and there were 8 students whom data was not collected for. Table 1 and Table 2 provide percentages for students Black and Latino students reading and math performances.

Table 1 Reading Levels for Black and Latino Students Race Black Latino Below Level 43.9% 46.1% On Level 40.3% 36.9% Above Level 15.2% 16.3% No Data .6% .7%

Table 2 Math Levels for Black and Latino Students Race Black Latino Below Level 21.1% 36.9% On Level 69% 51% Above Level 5.8% 6.4% No Data 4.1% 5.7%

When comparing race and gender together, Black and Latino boys and girls scored differently on both reading and math. We noticed that in reading more Latino boys (15.2%) scored above level than Black boys (12.8%). Although the Latino girls scored better than Black girls, the percentages were very close Latino girls (17.7%) and Black girls (17.6%). In math, we noticed that more Latino boys (10.1%) did better than Black boys (3.5%); Black girls (8.2%) did better than Latino girls (1.6%). Table 3 and Table 4 show the comparisons of the genders, race, and subjects.

Table 3. Reading Levels for Black and Latino boys and girls Below Level Black Boys 52.3% On Level 34.9% Above Level 12.8% No Data 0%

Latino Boys

45.6%

37.9%

15.2%

1.3%

Black Girls Latino Girls

35.3% 46.8%

45.9% 35.5%

17.6% 17.7%

1.2% 0%

Table 4 Math Levels for Black and Latino boys and girls Below Level Black Boys Latino Boys 23.3% 39.2% On Level 69.7% 44.4% Above Level 3.5% 10.1% No Data 3.5% 6.3%

Black Girls Latino Girls

18.9% 33.9%

68.2% 59.7%

8.2% 1.6%

4.7% 4.8%

Data Analysis We were interested in seeing if race was related to reading and math performances. In order to determine the relationship between race and reading/math scores, we performed two correlation analyses between both of the races and each subject (Table 5). The results indicated, in reading, that there was no correlation between both races and reading. On the other hand, in math there is a modest relationship between the races and their performances in math. This may suggest that the students have a strong academic background in mathematics than in reading. Based on the data, we can infer that Latino and Black students do well in math because it is known as the universal language. Due to the lack of language barrier for ELL students, it is harder for them to comprehend what they read, which may cause lower reading levels. Even

though Black students are able to form words and communicate, there can still be the lack of comprehension because of their community language, Ebonics. Table 5: Correlation between Races & Subjects Race Latinos & Blacks Reading -0.008 Math -0.148

Discussion Based on the statistics, we have inferred that family situations, background knowledge, any ELL/ESE statuses, and ADD/ADHDs were related to students performances in these two subjects. In this data, retained students are included as well as international students. To verify the relationship between these variables and the students academic performances, we conducted different series of correlation analyses. In the tables shown above, the percentages of the students performance for both subjects despite their race, gender, ELL/ESE status, etc were moderately poor. By observing all students from the three schools, we speculated that students who are not English speakers, are retained once or twice, and/or have special needs are possible reasons that there are more below leveled students than above leveled students for both gender and race in reading rather than math. It is know that students perform slightly well in math than reading due to more hands-on tasks that help students be more engaged in the lesson and require students to read fewer sentences in a question, which is straightforward majority of the time.

Unlike most regular schools, students attending Title 1 schools receive fewer materials due to lack of funds, which may be the reason that students performances are low. Students living in a low-income community where parents struggle to provide food on the table, have no transportations, lack materials for students to improve academically at home, have domestic violence in the area, over-crowding at home, and many more which may show that the students are less likely to come to school motivated to learn and be active in lessons. Even if situations are either negative or positive, childrens early experiences at home may affect their motivation (Fleming & Gottfried, 2012).

Whether students are in school or at home, many of them go through emotions that affect them both socially and academically. When students are under an intense stress and/or fear due to personal situations, they have difficulties comprehending and recalling information that were given to them recently. Living with constant stress and/or fears can lead to damaging the neurons in the hippocampus (McEwen, 1995). Furthermore, students tend to have difficulties staying on task and focusing in school (LeDoux, 2000). Most students worry about their personal concerns or home situations rather than learning. This happens because of what they hear from their parents or what they experience from other students such as being belittled or jeered at. Teachers expectations can be a factor that affects students achievement. If a teacher expects students to do well, then their mindset will be set on them to prosper; however, if they expect students to not do well, their mindset would be negative towards that student. Some teachers expect Latino and Black students to perform poorly because of their past experiences with these students. Teachers who have poor expectations for these races do not motivate the students. Also, school culture can affect students achievements. All three elementary schools

have made changes so that the students can succeed. For instance, one of the schools has changed administration and another school extended the school day by an hour. Overall, these three schools encourage and motivate the students to do their best and come to school every day; this encouragement provides a caring community that they might not have at home. Conclusion Latino and Black students perform differently on reading and math. Based on our research, we concluded that Black students perform slightly better in reading and math than Latino students. Majority of the students from both races performed below level in reading, but majority of those students performed on level for math. We determined that there might be external factors on student performances, such as lack of motivation, low-income homes, lack of funds, poor teacher expectations, and language barriers. However, all three schools provided a positive school culture for the students.