Date

8-2011

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Constance L Pearson

Primary Subject Area

Education, Administration; Education, General; Education, Tests and Measurements

Keywords

ACSI, Christian schools, National Merit Scholarship, Scholar, school characteristics, school climate

Abstract

This is a correlational study examining the characteristics of Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) schools that produced National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in 2010. The variables examined came from an archival data set: the 2009-2010 ACSI Annual School Survey results. The research questions examine the relationship of institutional and faculty characteristics of these schools. The theoretical basis for the study is the connection between school climate and student academic achievement. National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are chosen based on their scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). In 2010, 126 ACSI schools produced National Merit Scholarship semifinalists because of their 11th grade scores on the PSAT/NMSQT. Sixty-nine of these 126 schools participated in the 2009-2010 ACSI Annual School Survey, along with 1,884 other ACSI member schools. The sample came from this data set. The results showed six institutional variables that were related to the school producing a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist: accreditation, school size, high school tuition, student computer availability, annual school budget, and years of operation. Five faculty variables were related to a school producing a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist: teachers having graduate degrees, teacher salary, offering of merit pay, student-to-teacher ratio, and number of full-time faculty.

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