Whether it’s lack of resources or lack of opportunity, a new study from The Education Trust finds that Black and Latino students across the country are being denied valuable educational opportunities.
While achievement gaps are frequently discussed and spotlighted, the roots of those gaps don’t receive as much attention. The study examines why and how Black and Latino students have unequal access to advanced coursework. As a student progresses through K–12 these are learning opportunities that can lead to success in higher education and in future careers.
The report, titled “Inequities in Advanced Coursework: What’s Driving Them and What Leaders Can Do,” and an accompanying website with state-by-state details and action plans showcase how these opportunities are being denied and offers suggestions on what can be done to eradicate the inequity.
“Not only did we want to look under the hood, but we also wanted to provide state advocates and state decision-makers with the right solutions to solve the problems in their states,” said Kayla Patrick, P–12 data and policy analyst for The Education Trust and one of the authors of the report. “We can’t discuss achievement gaps without discussing paths and opportunities.”
Utilizing data from the U.S. Department of Education’s 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection and Common Core of Data, the report shows how Black and Latino students are being denied advanced coursework opportunities throughout K–12. For example, Black students represent 16% of overall enrollment in elementary schools, but make up only 9% of gifted and talented programs. Latino students represent 28% of students enrolled and only 18% in gifted and talented programs.
At the middle school level, Black students make up 15% of eighth graders, but only 10% of those students enrolled in Algebra I. At the high school level, Latino students comprise nearly 25% of students, but only 21% of students enrolled in AP courses. The data shows that Black and Latino students are successful in advanced courses when given the opportunity.
“For this particular study, we identified two main drivers for the gaps in opportunity,” said Patrick. “The first driver is the schools that are serving mostly Black and Latino students have fewer seats in those courses. Previous research has shown that resources—whether that be dollars or quality teachers really go into that bucket. The second driver that we identified is that the schools that we would consider racially diverse are least likely to fairly enroll Black and Latino students in advanced coursework opportunities.”
