1 of 6

Research for Public Education Panel

Dr. Patricia Maloney

Associate Professor of Sociology

Texas Tech University

Patricia.maloney@ttu.edu

With thanks to Zoe A, Abbey K, Ali H, Fatima H, Titilayo O, Blanca B, Hannah K, Gracie H, and Nicole S.

2 of 6

Summer Learning Gap Research

  • Takeaway: Schools do a great job of ameliorating the achievement gap between high- and low-income students while students are in attendance.

​

For more information, read: 

1) Alexander, K., Entwisle, D., and Olson, L. (2007). “Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap.”  American Sociological Review, 72 (2: 167-180).

2) Borman, G. (2000). “The Effects of Summer School: Questions Answered, Questions Raised.” Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 119-127. (also source of figure on slide)�

3 of 6

Voucher Research

  • My lab examined 55 of the most cited articles about school vouchers from 1998-2021.
  • Overall? Research is mixed, likely due to different implementation strategies and dependent variables.
  • To see the spreadsheet, click HERE.
  • For more reading, see articles on spreadsheet.

4 of 6

What is the Texas Guardian Plan?

  •  Created with the passage of The Protection of Texas Children Act in May 2013, districts can opt-in or opt-out
  • "Armed defensive approach" (Texas School Guardian Program)
  • Guardians are supposed to be anonymous
  • Opponents argue it adds on to a teacher's job description.
  • Proponents argue that school guardians can immediately respond to an active threat instead of waiting for law enforcement to arrive. 

​

5 of 6

Teacher Retention�

  • TX public school teachers make a little less than $60k/yr (NEA Rankings and Estimates, April 2024).
  • According to TEA’s 2023 Teacher Retention Data Report:
    • 13.4% of Texas teachers left public schools after the 2021-22 academic year
    • As of the 2022-23 academic year, new teachers without certification rose to 28.8% (10 points higher than ten years ago)

​

6 of 6

Religion in Public Schools

​