Using performance and demographic data for assessing academic achievement in Ohio's joint vocational school districts

In today's world, public education officials and/or students are being held accountable for academic achievement, and Ohio's joint vocational school districts are no exception. However, little empirical evidence exits between the use of demographic, performance, federal and state scores and academic achievement in Ohio's 49 joint vocational school districts. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to statistically analyze the relationships among the demographic variables consisting of school size, school wealth, and expenditures per pupil, performance variables consisting of 17 workforce development measures, and federal and state academic achievement scores. These data were obtained from the 2005 school funding (SF-3) reports, 2005 secondary workforce development reports, and the center for school finance.; The primary research question investigated the demographic variables of school size, school wealth, and expenditures per pupil in predicting workforce development variables as a measurement of academic achievement. Out of 210 possibilities there were 17 statistically significant relationships ( p < 0.05). Three were associated with school size, seven were associated with school wealth, and the remaining seven were associated with expenditures per pupil. Scatter plots and regression equations are provided for each of these variables.; In addition, using stepwise multiple regressions, the statistically significant performance variables are compared to the federal and state scores. The secondary question investigated which performance variables were significant in predicting the federal and state academic achievement scores. Stepwise multiple regression equations are provided for predicting the federal and state academic achievement scores. The highest correlation was positive post program placement rate with an R = .719 which accounts for 51.7% of the variance for federal and state scores. Ten stepwise multiple regression models are provided that best predict the federal and state scores.; Analyzing the demographic and performance correlations provides predictive validity and empirical evidence to assist school administrators in making decisions concerning improving federal and state scores and subsequent academic achievement. In view of the accountability called for in today's educational system, school policymakers and administrators are provided statistical evidence for improving academic achievement in Ohio's joint vocational schools.