school district achievement are correlated with aggregate socio-economic conditions in the community. The impact of socio-economic class on school performance cannot be underestimated. The phenomenon begins as early as kindergarten: "low-SES children begin school at kindergarten in systematically lower-quality elementary schools than their more advantaged counterparts," (Burkham & Lee, 2002). The differences between Shaker Heights and Cleveland are in large part due to their different community demographics. In Shaker Heights, every single school in the district is classified as a low-poverty school. In Cleveland, the reverse is true: all of the schools are classified as high-poverty schools.

The quality of the staff, in terms of their training and educational background, reflects the socio-economic status of the schools in the district. Rather than having equal staff, the schools in Shaker Heights and Cleveland have differential staff. This means that the students start out disadvantaged due to their family's low income; and...
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