DIFFERENCES IN GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT RECIPIENT RATES AS A FUNCTION OF HIGH SCHOOL SIZE FOR STUDENTS OF POVERTY: A TEXAS MULTIYEAR, STATEWIDE STUDY

Abstract

In this investigation, the extent to which the GED recipient rates of students in poverty differed as a function of high school size, with respect to student enrollment, were examined. Archival data were analyzed from the Academic Excellence Indicator System report from the Texas Education Agency. School size categories, based on student enrollment groupings as defined by Greeney and Slate (2012), Perez and Slate (2015) and the University Interscholastic League categories (2014), were used to ascertain whether school sizes were differentially related to GED recipient rates of students in poverty. Statistically significant results were yielded only when the University Interscholastic League classifications were used. Students in poverty who were enrolled in Very small high schools (i.e., 25 to 104 students) had statistically significantly higher GED recipient rates than students in poverty who were enrolled in larger high schools. As student enrollment increased, GED recipient rates decreased. Implications for policy and practice and recommendations for future research are provided.