The purpose of this study was to investigate how key predictors impact
Academic achievement. A large urban Ohio school district was the focus
of the study. Student and school level predictors were used to consider
relationships in academic outcomes. Multilevel regression analyses were
deployed, using data obtained from the Ohio Department of Education to
examine achievement differences among students based on
socially ascribed characteristics, with the focus on impoverished urban
White students‘ academic achievement. Descriptive analyses suggested
that Ethnicity and Poverty were strong predictors of achievement in the
district. Minority students scored lower in both reading and math as
compared with White students. The mean score for Poverty students is
Substantially lower than for non-poverty students (13.45 points). As with
Ethnicity, Poverty appears to be a strong predictor of both types of
achievement.