I will use the influence of parents in CA 91 to show how the coin-flip sample's change in distribution is computed. Positive values favor detracking, negative values are opposed. The negative coefficient means that parent influence decreases the odds of detracking. The coefficient for parent influence means that the odds of detracking decrease by a factor of e - 444, or .641. Raising parent influence by one unit changes the 50-50 sample to 39 detracked schools and 61 tracked, as displayed in Figure 4.4.
Parents affect tracking policy.
Variables Receiving Special Treatment Community. Respondents filled out a sheet separate from the survey in which they identified the school community as rural, urban, or suburban. Mixed responses were coded as the dominant type. Some simply overlooked the item, but I think the main problem was the difficulty of categorizing communities using the three descriptors, especially in Massachusetts's small towns. I then ran new regres- sions, with no significant differences noted.