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Comparing School Districts

GOVT 2306 Research Project

Professor Tannahill

School District Assignment: See the student assignment file

Text Reference: Texas Politics Today, pp. 324-333

Your assignment is to research the profile and performance of the independent school district assigned to you and to answer the questions below. The data needed to complete the assignment can be found in the following database:

http://schools.texastribune.org/" http://schools.texastribune.org/

Good Advice:

  • You will need good Internet connectivity to browse the database. Use the open lab on campus if your home setup is inadequate.

You must use the data from the database. Do not try to find the information from other sources except for the location of the school district.

  • Do not wait until the day the assignment is due to begin work. This is a relatively challenging assignment that will take time and thought to compete successfully.
  • Spend time with the website. It is a complex website that is challenging to master. Learning how to mine data from complex databases is a major goal of this assignment.
  • Read the questions closely before answering them. Students frequently lose points for failing to fully answer questions. In particular, if the question asks you to write a paragraph, that means you need to write several sentences. A paragraph is not a single sentence. As you recall from your English class, paragraphs have topic sentences, several sentences in the body that develop the topic sentence, and a concluding sentence that ties the paragraph together.
  • Never, never, never copy and paste from a website. The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn how to use a complex database to do research and then write a short report on your work. That involves finding data, reporting it, and interpreting it. Copying and pasting from a website is the opposite of research. It is the opposite of critical thinking. It is the opposite of what any self-respecting college student should do. When I detect that a student has copied and pasted from a source (and it is always obvious), I immediately go into overdrive looking for opportunities to take off points. Nothing irritates me more because it shows me that the student has no interest in learning how to think critically and to write about his or her ideas.

    • Don’t provide information that has not been requested. Don’t include information relevant to question 4 when answering question 3. Don’t stray off topic.

    If you use tables and charts in your report (always a plus if they are well done), be sure to discuss them in the body of your report. Don’t just stick in a table and assume the reader will look at it and understand its relevance. Explain it to the reader.

  • Use data to back up your conclusions. If you believe that a school district is doing well, quote the data that support your conclusion. There are two good ways to use data in a report. One approach is to state your conclusion and then quote the data that support that conclusion. A second approach is to present data and then state your conclusion based on that data.
  • Interpret your data. Don’t just copy figures from the website and assume that the reader understands the difference in two sets of numbers. Explain what the data show. Point out critical differences and similarities. Discuss why the data are important.
  • Don’t overwhelm the reader with a blizzard of figures. Use data to prove your points, but don’t supply so many data points that the reader is left overwhelmed with numbers. Discussions that read X increased by 5.3 percent while Y declined by 4.8 percent are mind-numbingly boring.
  • The words roughly, approximately, and about indicate a certain level of imprecision, perhaps caused by rounding. Suppose the website indicates that a school district has 9,989 students. It would be accurate to say that the district has approximately 10,000 students. Do not, however, say that the district has approximately 9,989 students because that number is exact; it is not approximate.
  • Be sure to use correct grammar and punctuation. One of the reasons you are in college is to learn to write correctly. I will take off one point for each grammar or punctuation error I come across. No kidding. Here are some common writing errors and websites that briefly explain correct usage:
  • Differentiating between possessives and plurals: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp
  • Using apostrophes correctly: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

    • Avoiding run-on sentences: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm" http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm

    Avoiding sentence fragments: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/fragments.htm" http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/fragments.htm

  • Using semicolons correctly: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon" http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon
  • Matching pronouns with their antecedents: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns.htm
  • Using commas correctly: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp" http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp

    • Please answer each of the questions by number, treating the assignment as a series of short answer questions. Do not write a single, unified essay .

    A good way to complete the project is to copy each question and then insert your answers after the questions in a colored type. For example, you may write your answers in blue or in green. (One color is sufficient. You don’t need to use a different color for each question.) If you wish, you may attach maps and create tables to add to your report.

    • Where is the district located? [Note: Giving a single street address is not an adequate answer.] (5 pts.)
    • How many students attend the district? (5 pts.)
    • How many students attend public schools statewide? [The database allows you to view statewide data in addition to individual district data. (5 pts.)]
    • What is the district’s demographic profile? Write a paragraph in which you compare and contrast the racial/ethnic makeup of the district’s student body with the racial/ethnic makeup of public school students statewide. (15 pts.)
    • Some youngsters are at significant risk of dropping out of school or otherwise failing academically because of life circumstances. The following website discusses risk factors for dropping out or failing: https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RD_Connections18.pdf. The Tribune database includes statistics showing the percentage of students with various risk factors for each district and for statewide. Write a paragraph in which you compare and contrast district students with students statewide in terms of academic risk factors. Based on the data, would you conclude that the district faces a relatively challenging risk environment compared with the risk environment statewide? Discuss. Remember: Risk of dropping out is not the same as actually dropping out. Do NOT include actual dropout rates in your analysis of this question. (15 pts.)
    • The website includes data showing student enrollment in different programs (bilingual/ESL, career and technical, etc.) How does the district compare with statewide averages in terms of student enrollment in different programs? (10 pts.)
    • How do you rate the academic performance of the district? Write a paragraph in which you compare and contrast the academic performance of district students with students statewide. Use at least two of the measures given on the website, discussing why each measure is important. Do not use dropout rates and graduation rates as two separate measures. Do not use ACT and SAT scores as two separate measures. You can use them as one measure, but you must include another measure as well. (20 pts.)
    • How do you rate the quality of the district’s faculty? Write a paragraph comparing the strength of district personnel with statewide averages using data found in the database. Be sure to identify the measures that you consider most appropriate for assessing faculty quality. Do NOT use student performance data to address this question. (15 pts.)
    • Assume that you are a parent considering purchasing a home in the district. Would you be comfortable having your children attend its schools? Write a paragraph giving your overall evaluation of the district based on the data found at the website. (10 pts.)

    Grading C riteria

    Follow the rules of English grammar and composition.

  • Make sure that all of your information is accurate.
  • Follow instructions, taking care that you answer every question directly and completely.
  • Present your information clearly, including tables and graphs when appropriate.
  • Provide thoughtful, insightful analysis.

    • Free Online Tutoring

    HCC provides free online tutoring in writing, math, science, and other subjects, which can be found at the HCC Upswing tutoring site: http://hccsupswing.io (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. 

    Use your student ID or HCC e-mail address to create an account. Instructions, including a 5-minute video, are provided to make you familiar with the capabilities of this service.

    Tutoring is available at http://www.hccs.edu/district/students/tutoring/.  Students who use the online tutoring typically do better on the assignment than students who do not take advantage of the resource.

    Anh Tuan Nguyen

    Tomball ISD