The Relation Between the Economy & Math Proficiency Within the United States

Oregon Convention Center 

There has been robust research to understand the relationship between a country's economic performance (typically measured in GDP per Capita) and the mathematical proficiency of its students (typically assessed by a standardized math score). Current research consistently shows a strong positive correlation between these two measures at a global level. Thy hypothesis of this paper is that such a strong correlation would reduce once the economy surpasses a certain threshold. Specifically, our research focuses on the United States and examines this relationship across its 50 states. We utilize each state's Grade 8 average math score from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and GDP per capita to investigate this relationship. Data visualization and statistical inferences are used to quantify and reveal the relationship between these two measures. As hypothesized, the correlation in the United states is significantly diminished compared to what previous work has shown at the global level. This work will help policy makers understand the complex relationship between the economy and math performance in order to make more effective strategies to enhance education.

math proficiency

GDP per capita

correlation

National Assessment of Educational Progress

education policy

data visualization 

Social Statistics Section