The academic achievement gap among Black males in grades 6-8 across Texas is a growing concern. Based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), secondary data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was used to evaluate scores from a sample of Texas rural schools. In this quantitative, non-experimental methods study, the dependent variable examined was the STAAR reading score at the “meets grade level,” and the independent dichotomous variables examined were: race, whether or not the student was classified in one of the following groups: ECD, at-risk, and special education. Academic trends from the 2017-2019 academic school years suggested there were few statistical differences in STAAR reading performance between the Black and White male students in the years examined in this study. These findings will benefit teachers and administrators of K-12 schools in the selected districts. Future recommendations are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>The academic achievement gap among Black males in grades 6-8 across Texas is a growing concern. Based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), secondary data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was used to evaluate scores from a sample of Texas rural schools. In this quantitative, non-experimental methods study, the dependent variable examined was the STAAR reading score at the “meets grade level,” and the independent dichotomous variables examined were: race, whether or not the student was classified in one of the following groups: ECD, at-risk, and special education. Academic trends from the 2017-2019 academic school years suggested there were few statistical differences in STAAR reading performance between the Black and White male students in the years examined in this study. These findings will benefit teachers and administrators of K-12 schools in the selected districts. Future recommendations are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hopkins-Johnson, Sheenah Maria"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Secondary Education and Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Barbara Qualls","Richard Skuza","Sarah Straub"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:37Z","subjects":["Academic achievement gap","Black and White males","STAAR reading performance","Grades 6-8","Educational Leadership","Gender Equity in Education","Secondary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/469","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Barbara Qualls","Richard Skuza","Sarah Straub"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hopkins-Johnson, Sheenah Maria"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-08-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Secondary Education and Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Academic achievement gap","Black and White males","STAAR reading performance","Grades 6-8","Educational Leadership","Gender Equity in Education","Secondary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/469"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The academic achievement gap among Black males in grades 6-8 across Texas is a growing concern. Based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), secondary data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was used to evaluate scores from a sample of Texas rural schools. In this quantitative, non-experimental methods study, the dependent variable examined was the STAAR reading score at the “meets grade level,” and the independent dichotomous variables examined were: race, whether or not the student was classified in one of the following groups: ECD, at-risk, and special education. Academic trends from the 2017-2019 academic school years suggested there were few statistical differences in STAAR reading performance between the Black and White male students in the years examined in this study. These findings will benefit teachers and administrators of K-12 schools in the selected districts. Future recommendations are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Differences Between African American and White Males in Grades 6-8: Comparative Evidence from Selected Texas Rural Schools"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Barbara Qualls","Richard Skuza","Sarah Straub"],"dc:creator":["Hopkins-Johnson, Sheenah Maria"],"dc:date.available":["2022-08-02T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The academic achievement gap among Black males in grades 6-8 across Texas is a growing concern. Based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), secondary data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was used to evaluate scores from a sample of Texas rural schools. In this quantitative, non-experimental methods study, the dependent variable examined was the STAAR reading score at the “meets grade level,” and the independent dichotomous variables examined were: race, whether or not the student was classified in one of the following groups: ECD, at-risk, and special education. Academic trends from the 2017-2019 academic school years suggested there were few statistical differences in STAAR reading performance between the Black and White male students in the years examined in this study. These findings will benefit teachers and administrators of K-12 schools in the selected districts. Future recommendations are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/469"],"dc:subject":["Academic achievement gap","Black and White males","STAAR reading performance","Grades 6-8","Educational Leadership","Gender Equity in Education","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["Differences Between African American and White Males in Grades 6-8: Comparative Evidence from Selected Texas Rural Schools"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Secondary Education and Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:37Z"}