Academic Impact in Camden City, New Jersey following the Implementation of the Urban Hope Act

Bunt, Julie

Dissertation

Academic Impact in Camden City, New Jersey following the Implementation of the Urban Hope Act

Public Deposited

The Urban Hope Act was authorized in 2012 and resulted in the implementation of renaissance school projects in Camden City, New Jersey. Since the first renaissance school project began serving students 5 years ago, there has yet to be an analysis of the academic impact that encompasses the three public school options that serve the students of Camden City. This study aims to compare academic achievement in each of the public school choice options: district, charter, and renaissance school projects. Specifically, in Grades 3 and 7, is academic obtainment in statewide assessments comparable by school type in English Language Arts (ELA) and math? If the academic obtainment differs, which pairs have a significant difference? Finally, does each school type serve equitable students based on demographic comparisons? Based on the results of Welch’s Analysis of Variance, a significant difference was identified in student performance by school type in Grade 3 in both ELA and math and in Grade 7 in ELA at an alpha of 0.05. A Scheffe post hoc analysis identified significant differences at the five percent level of charter performance in Grade 3 in both ELA and math compared to the district and renaissance school projects, and charter performance and renaissance school project performance in Grade 7 in ELA compared to the district performance. No significant difference was found in math in Grade 7 by school type. In addition, a Chi-square test determined an association between school type and demographic group. The portfolio model of school choice as implemented in Camden City, New Jersey, since 2014 has not been proven as a reformation model that equitably impacts student outcomes to date.

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