Academic Performance Gaps and Family Income in a Rural Elementary School - Perceptions of Low-Income Parents

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

Study of an income-related achievement gap in a rural elementary school, focusing on perceptions held by low-income parents. Mixed-methods design used quantitative records from sixty-two free and reduced lunch students alongside a higher-income comparison group, and qualitative interviews with six low-income parents. Results indicate the gap exists and highlight four contributing themes: parental involvement and capacity, access to resources, the role and limits of schools, and broader American societal and governmental systems.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Background and Rationale

Study Purpose and Research Questions

Theoretical Framework

Cultural capital theory

Culturally responsive pedagogy

Academic Performance Gaps and Family Income in a Rural Elementary School: Perceptions ofLow-Income Parents This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of school administration and K-12 education. Beth A. Renth Phillip Buckley, Co-Chair Laurel Puchner, Co-Chair Southern Illinois University Edwardsville NCPEA Editorial Advisor: Dr. Jafeth Sanchez A wide range of research has been conducted regarding reasons for the achievement gap between low income students and higher income students, but there is limited research regarding parental perspectives, and particularly fewer studies of parental perceptions of low-income, rural elementary school parents. This study examined the extent to which an income-related achievement gap existed at a particular rural school and explored low-income parent perceptions of the achievement gap and factors contributing to it. This was a mixed-method, primarily qualitative study. Quantitative data was collected from a group of sixty-two free and reduced lunch students and a comparison sample of higher income students which included academic, attendance, and discipline reports. Findings indicated a gap does exist at the school. Qualitative data included interviews of six parents of low-income students and delved into topics regarding how participants perceive various factors affect the performance of their children. Four themes emerged: parental involvement and capacity, access to resources, the role of the schools and limits, and American societal and governmental systems. Implications suggest that this particular rural school and others with similar demographics would benefit from specific strategies to assist in understanding cultural differences to improve instruction and, ultimately, avenues to include parents by exploring current practices that may be unintentionally discriminating. NCPEA Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, Vol. 2, No. 1 – March 2015 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2015 National Council of Professors of Educational Administration This manuscript may not be used commercially or edited. When quoting portions of this text, attribution to the author/s is required. Historically, children from low-income families have performed poorly in school and on standardized achievement tests when compared to their more advantaged peers (Lareau, 2000, 2011; OECD, 2011; West, 2007) . Despite significant efforts to close this achievement gap, it remains one of the central challenges facing today’s educational leaders. An extensive research base suggests that a wide variety of factors interact together in different ways, cultures, and contexts to produce levels of inequality that in turn affect student achievement (Allington et al., 2010; Fry, 2007; Gordon, 1996; Lareau, 2000, 2011; Rothstein, 2008; West, 2007) . One area that is not well researched is the achievement gap in rural schools, particularly from the perspective of low-income parents of children in those schools. While successful rural schools have been studied from various perspectives (Barley & Beesley, 2007; Yiu & Adams, 2013), there is limited research dedicated to examining the achievement gap between lowincome and higher-income students in rural communities. What’s more, there is little research that examines this achievement gap from the perspective of low-income parents whose children attend rural schools. Yet, parents play an important role in children's education and are uniquely positioned to shed light on the issue of why children from different economic classes achieve at different levels. For educational leaders whose work involves rural communities, it is helpful to understand the particularities of the income-based achievement gap within rural contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was two-fold. We first examined the academic performa

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the study?

The study examined whether an income-related achievement gap existed at a specific rural elementary school and explored low-income parents’ perceptions of the gap and the factors contributing to it.

How were data collected in this mixed-methods study?

Quantitative data used academic, attendance, and discipline reports for sixty-two free and reduced lunch students plus a higher-income comparison sample; qualitative data came from interviews with six low-income parents.

What themes emerged from the interviews with low-income parents?

Four themes emerged: parental involvement and capacity, access to resources, the role of the schools and their limits, and American societal and governmental systems.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag