Student performance in high school Earth science coursework is an important factor in lifelong scientific literacy and workforce readiness in geoscience fields. Performance often depends upon access to high quality teaching and resources in precollege academic settings. This study employed a non-experimental, correlational research design to explore teacher-level and school-level variables and their relationship to students' Earth science participation and performance. The theoretical framework is derived from studies that suggest both teacher and organizational characteristics influence students' academic outcomes. The sample included N=2457 Earth science teachers and N=153,749 Earth science students in New York State during the 2016-17 academic year. Teacher-level variables included the certification of Earth science teachers, professional age, course load in Earth science and whether the teacher was isolated; while the school-level variables included Earth science standardized assessment passing rates, test-taking percentage, socioeconomic status, locale, ethnicity, and English language proficiency. Data were collected from a variety of publicly available sources that were verified by state education agencies. Results indicated that nearly a quarter of Earth science teachers were teaching out-of-field, with a higher incidence in urban schools, where nearly half of all Earth science teachers were not certified in the subject. A multivariable regression model with a subset of isolated Earth science teachers (n=528) indicated student performance was predicted by school-level demographics including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and English language proficiency. Teacher-level characteristics including experience, certification status, and Earth science course load did not predict student outcomes in the multivariable model. Results of the multivariable model further revealed that Earth science performance was positively predicted by the prevalence of Earth science participation in the school. It also acted as a partial mediator for school-level percentage of ethnic minorities traditionally underrepresented in science, school-level poverty, and school-level percentage of English language proficiency. This suggests that increasing Earth science enrollments may have a long-term impact on geoscience literacy, performance, and interest in the field, particularly for marginalized students. These findings have implications for policy makers to institute reforms in teacher education and precollege Earth science instruction, with the aim of promoting equity in diverse educational contexts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]