Opportunity To Learn: Issues of Equity for Poor and Minority Students

This study evaluated how public school districts collect, disaggregate, and analyze student outcome data. A survey was mailed to research directors and test directors responsible for assessments in 142 public school districts to determine if the districts have the capacity to analyze opportunity to learn (OTL) data, what their interest level is in the data, and what obstacles they face in collecting and analyzing OTL data. At least 20 percent of the respondents received follow-up telephone interviews. District size, urbanicity, and geographic area were analyzed using open-ended responses. Ninety-one (64 percent) of the school districts responded. Respondents ranged from program evaluators to assistant superintendents; 56 percent were directors and managers of research and evaluation, and 61 percent came from urban public school districts. Results show that OTL is virtually an unknown concept in the United States. Students' differences in academic achievement are not being related to an analysis of OTL. Most districts limit test data disaggregation to race/ethnicity. Lack of OTL information hampers teachers' abilities to improve their teaching practices. Policy recommendations include: (1) raise the awareness and knowledge levels of all parties responsible for educating students; and (2) train public school district personnel to use OTL information, encourage OTL data collection, and do more research on the quality of instructional delivery. Fourteen data tables, the OTL Questionnaire, "Opportunity To Learn: The Need for a Comprehensive Definition for Substantive Data Analysis" (Floraline I. Stevens), and the OTL Survey Follow-Up Interview Protocol are included. (Contains 49 references.) (RLC)