An Analysis of the Relationship Between Newly Constructed or Renovated Ohio High Schools and Measurable Student Data Indicators

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between newly constructed or remodeled high schools and academic achievement and behavioral measures. School districts ranked in the lowest quartile of property wealth in Ohio were identified as the sample group which built or remodeled high schools under the Ohio School Facilities Commission and the control group which did not build or remodel high schools. Data was collected for 2005 for nine indicators of academic achievement and measures of student behaviors and compared to data for the same indicators for 2011. The data was analyzed by group using a matched-pair t-test to determine if significant changes occurred during the time of the study. Analysis of the data indicated that significant changes occurred for multiple indicators for both the sample group and the control group. Newly constructed or remodeled high schools served as the independent variable allowing for data comparisons between the sample and control groups. Mean comparisons indicated that the sample and control groups achieved similar data results prior to building or remodeling school facilities. Interestingly, mean comparisons continued to be statistically similar after school facilities were constructed or remodeled. Conclusions of the study indicated that no differences were present when comparing statistical results between the sample and control groups. Comparisons were created using academic achievement measures and behavioral measures to determine if a relationship existed between newly constructed or renovated high schools and those measures. The study serves as a basis for future research because there is little research available comparing the same measures for sample groups housed in new or remodeled school facilities and control groups that did not receive new school facilities