Content area
This correlational study investigates the relationship between student academic achievement and various external factors, including funding, student attendance, school attributes, and family income, across 147 Tennessee K-12 public school districts. Using Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and End-Of-Course (EOC) scores to define student achievement, the study analyzes data from over 1900 schools during the 2023- 2024 school year. Employing the statistical analysis software - SPSS - for descriptive and correlation analysis, the study excludes schools with incomplete data. The findings reveal significant correlations between student achievement and 80% of the external variables, rejecting the null hypothesis in 12 of 15 cases (p < .01). Key results indicate federal funding negatively correlates with achievement, accounting for 20% of the variance, while state funding shows no significant relationship. Chronic absenteeism, particularly among African American and economically disadvantaged students, demonstrates strong negative correlations with achievement. School attributes such as teacher certification and experience also significantly impact student performance. Additionally, higher median household income within districts correlates with better student achievement. Teacher salary and retention, on the other hand, was not found to have significant relationship with student achievement. These findings suggest effective use of funding, reducing chronic absenteeism, and ensuring qualified teachers are crucial for improving student outcomes.