This report contrasts the characteristics of border and nonborder districts in Texas from both a demographic and student achievement standpoint. The information in this report should also inform and strengthen border initiatives, such as those emphasized at the 2006 U.S.-Mexico Border Governors Conference. The study sought to answer three questions: (1) How do Texas border and nonborder districts differ in location and size, student demographics, teacher data, and community economics?; (2) Where significant differences exist between border and nonborder districts, what does the recent literature say about the relationship between these variables and student achievement?; and (3) How does student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) differ between border and nonborder districts? Reported results: (1) A higher proportion of border districts are in urban or urban fringe settings and the La Frontera region tends to have more schools per district and higher student enrollments than do the nonborder regions; (2) Border districts enroll higher proportions of Hispanic, limited English proficiency, and bilingual students, have higher concentrations of at-risk and economically disadvantaged students and higher dropout rates at grades 7-12; (3) Border districts employ higher proportions of Hispanic teachers, and the region's teaching force is slightly less experienced than the teaching forces of districts in other parts of the state; (4) An economic disparity is evident between Texas's border and nonborder regions; and (5) At each grade level examined, students in the border region have lower pass rates on the reading or English language arts and mathematics TAKS than students in other regions. Further insight could be gained by exploring border and nonborder associations for their explanatory power related to student outcomes. Data reduction techniques are suggested for this next step. New primary data collection may offer more nuanced insight on how the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has directly affected students, teachers, and principals along the border. Three appendixes are included: (A) Previous studies of La Frontera; (B) Data Sources and Methodology; and (C) Texas Noncharter School Districts Stratified by Region. (Contains 13 endnotes and 18 tables). [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education by Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest, formerly known as Southwest Regional Educational Laboratory (SEDL), administered by Edvance Research, Inc.]
