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Measuring School Economic Disadvantage

Author

Listed:
  • Michelle Spiegel
  • Leah R. Clark
  • Thurston Domina
  • Vitaly Radsky
  • Paul Y. Yoo
  • Andrew Penner

Abstract

Many educational policies hinge on the valid measurement of student economic disadvantage at the school level. Measures based on free and reduced-price lunch enrollment are used widely. However, recent research raises questions about their reliability, particularly following the introduction of universal free lunch in certain schools and districts. Using unique data linking the universe of students in Oregon public schools to IRS tax records and other data housed at the U.S. Census Bureau, we provide the first examination of how well different measures capture school economic disadvantage. We find that, in Oregon, direct certification provides the best widely-available measure, both over time and across the distribution of school economic disadvantage. By contrast, neighborhood-based measures consistently perform relatively poorly.

Suggested Citation

  • Michelle Spiegel & Leah R. Clark & Thurston Domina & Vitaly Radsky & Paul Y. Yoo & Andrew Penner, 2022. "Measuring School Economic Disadvantage," Working Papers 22-50, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    • Handle: RePEc:cen:wpaper:22-50
    as

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    File URL: https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2022/CES-WP-22-50R.pdf
    File Function: Revised version, 2023
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    File URL: https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2022/CES-WP-22-50.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hällsten, Martin & Pfeffer, Fabian T., 2017. "Grand advantage: family wealth and grandchildren's educational achievement in Sweden," Working Paper Series 2017:3, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    2. Cory Koedel & Eric Parsons, 2020. "The Effect of the Community Eligibility Provision on the Ability of Free and Reduced-Price Meal Data to Identify Disadvantaged Students," Working Papers 2005, Department of Economics, University of Missouri.
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