Social Disorganization, Community Engagement, and Public High School Performance

Abstract

This study examines whether community-level social disorganization and community engagement initiatives are associated with public high school performance. Analyzing data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School Attendance Boundary Survey (SABS), a latent variable measuring community-level social disorganization is examined within a structural equation model for 302 traditional public high schools in Florida. The study finds a statistically significant and large negative association between community-level social disorganization and a latent variable representing Florida Department of Education performance metrics. Correspondingly, the recognition of receiving the Florida Five Star School award for satisfying recommended community engagement criteria is positively associated with high school performance with social disorganization factors simultaneously considered. This research hopes to further provide an emphasis for recognizing and engaging community within the context of addressing disparities in public education performance.

Working upstream: A statewide analysis of individual and contextual risk factors for future juvenile justice involvement among youth receiving prevention services

“…Neighborhood disadvantage can impact individual risk factors by shaping school and family situations, influencing lifestyle choices, altering exposure to violence and delinquent peers, and a host of additional mechanisms. A robust body of literature has established clear linkages between this ecological condition and key individual risk factors for delinquency, including school engagement (Crowder & South, 2003), achievement (Donnelly, 2015), quality (Kanaan, 2022), victimization experiences (Fagan et al., 2015), adverse childhood experiences (Wolff, Cuevas, et al., 2018), impulsivity (Chen & Jacobson, 2013), substance use (Jackson et al., 2016), and childhood maltreatment (Chapple & Vaske, 2010). Collectively, this research indicates that structural conditions’ effects on delinquency are mediated, in part, by critical individual, school, and family risk factors (Cattarello, 2000; Kubrin & Weitzer, 2003; Messner & Zimmerman, 2012; Sampson et al., 1997).…”