The influence of educational and political resources on minority students' success

Using Black and Hispanic students' pass rates on the Texas public school exit-level assessment as a proxy for academic achievement this study identifies educational and political resources that influence student success. It employs the political resources model, which assumes that the level of political resources available to a community influences the development of strategies and tactics to achieve community goals. While political and school district resources were found to contribute to both groups' pass rates, political resources were more influential for Black students. For both groups, the higher the percentage of (a) minority teachers in a school district and (b) minorities with at least a high school degree in district communities, the greater the likelihood of minority student success.