Cracking the Code: Unpacking Education Trends and Success in Massachusetts
- rachelorrell
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 21
t’s funny how our experiences in school shape our views of education. Growing up, myself and everyone around me seemed to breeze through classes, graduate, and head off to college. It made me wonder: how do schools today measure up? What factors really influence student success? This curiosity led me to analyze education data from Massachusetts to find out what’s happening behind the scenes.
Why THIS Project
I wanted to explore the current state of education—especially graduation and college attendance rates. With so much focus on education reform, I thought it was important to identify the challenges schools face today. This project is special to me because it ties my own educational background to real-world data, helping to understand how we can make improvements.
What Readers Will Gain
By reading this article, you’ll learn about several surprising trends in Massachusetts education. You’ll see how class size and family income affect college attendance, discover which schools struggle with graduation rates, and understand the challenges some districts face in 4th grade math.
Key Takeaways
Class size and family income influence whether students attend college.
Most schools have graduation rates above 50%, but one school, Curtis-Tufts, had a shocking 0% graduation rate.
Only 4 districts in Massachusetts achieved a passing rate of at least 50% in 4th grade math.
Dataset Details
The data I analyzed comes from the Massachusetts Department of Education website and spans the year 2017. It can be found here. It includes 1,861 rows and 303 columns, focusing on crucial metrics like the percentage of students who graduated, attended college, and passed 4th-grade math. This dataset was perfect for my project because it provided a comprehensive look at educational performance across many schools and districts.
Analysis Process
I began by cleaning and organizing the data, ensuring it was ready for analysis. I used Tableau to create visualizations that highlighted key trends. One of my surprises was discovering the 0% graduation rate at Curtis-Tufts. This alternative school is designed to transfer students to other schools based on their progress, which explains the low rate.
Visuals and Insights
Scatter Plot: This visual shows the correlation between class size and college attendance. The dots represent different students, with their position indicating class size and color indicating financial hardship. The trendline suggests that smaller class sizes are associated with higher college attendance, while the orange dots (indicating higher financial hardship) tend to fall below the trendline. This suggests that income challenges may hinder students’ college ambitions.
Factors Affecting Whether a Student Attends College (click to enlarge) Low Graduation Rate Bar Chart: Most schools are doing well, with graduation rates above 50% (marked in blue). However, Curtis-Tufts stands out with a 0% graduation rate, highlighting a unique situation where the school’s role is to transition students elsewhere.
Low Grad Percentage (click to enlarge)
4th Grade Math Passing Rate Bar Chart: Here, only 4 districts exceed a 50% passing rate. This presents a significant concern, as it indicates that many students are struggling with foundational math skills, which could affect their future education.
Main Takeaways
This analysis shows that class size and economic conditions play a critical role in whether students go on to college. Identifying schools like Curtis-Tufts raises questions about how alternative education shapes graduation outcomes. Additionally, the low passing rates in 4th grade math across many districts suggest that targeted support could be beneficial. Moving forward, further exploration into what specific strategies could improve these conditions would be valuable.
Conclusion and Personal Reflections
Overall, I learned a great deal from this project, especially about the challenges that exist within our education system. This experience has reshaped my perspective on educational support and has fueled my desire to pursue further research into effective educational strategies.
Call to Action
I would love to hear your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn or leave a comment if you have any insights or questions about this project.
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