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2009 - The Black-White Gap in Mathematics Course Taking

Attribution: Kelly, Sean
Researchers: Sean Kelly
University Affiliation: Harvard University
Email: sdkelly@fas.harvard.edu
Research Question:
Analyze differences in the mathematics course taking of white and black students. Examine determinants of enrollment in math courses of Blacks in 10th
Published: 1
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Sociology of Education
Journal Entry: Vol. 82, No. 1, pp. 47-69
Year: 2009
Findings:
  • Black students are much more likely than are White students to be enrolled in low-track mathematics courses by 10th grade.
  • The Black-White gap in mathematics course taking is the greatest in integrated schools where black students are in the minority and cannot be entirely accounted for by individual-level differences in the course-taking qualifications or family backgrounds of White and Black students.
  • On average, there is no Black-White gap in mathematics course taking after test scores, grades, prior track placement, and SES are taken into account.
  • After the individual level variables as well as several school variables are adjusted for, predominantly Black schools actually have a higher level of mathematics course taking.
  • The schools that Black students attend have an inclusive approach to course taking in math, with a greater number of students than would be enrolled at predominantly white schools with students of similar achievement level and backgrounds.
  • Black students are at a course-taking disadvantage in predominantly White schools
  • Black students are disadvantaged within predominately White public schools.
  • There appears no similar disadvantage in predominately White Catholic schools. Moreover, the average level of mathematics course taking among all students was higher in Catholic schools.
  • there appears to be a connection between the racial composition of a school and the chances of Black and White students enrolling in high-track math courses.
  • Even when Black students attend integrated schools, they face resegregation within these schools.
  • Students in predominately Black schools may still benefit from an inclusive approach to enrollment in upper-track courses.
Keywords: Achievement GapCompositionMathRacial CompositionTrackingRegions: NationalMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: Secondary Survey DataAnalysis Methods: Multilevel Models Sampling Frame:High School
Sampling Types: RandomAnalysis Units: SchoolStudentData Types: Quantitative-Longitudinal
Data Description:
  • Used NELS 1988.
  • Used measures of achievement and other indicators in the 8th grade to predict math course taking in the 9th and 10th grades in a longitudinal analysis.
  • Used data from 13,548 students who had transcripts of both the 9th and 10th grades as well as key achievement and socioeconomic data. Full sample includes 1,087 schools.
  • DV: Indicator of sophomore-year course taking (mathematics sequence). This is an ordinal variable with 5 categories: less than Algebra I; Algebra I; Algebra II or Geometry but not both; Algebra II and Geometry; and Greater than Algebra II or Geometry.
  • IV: School level (% Black, % Hispanic, % free lunch, urban/rural, catholic/private religious/private non-religious); Individual Level ( proportion of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Other, Male, Math grades, Math tests, English test, History test, Prior track placement, family structure, parental education, family income).
  • Article discusses two possible sources of racial inequalities: 1) discrimination by school personnel, either intentional or statistical, and the decisions of students themselves.
  • This article investigated the contextual factors that influence inequality in course taking within and between schools.
Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:
Archives: K-12 Integration, Desegregation, and Segregation Abstracts
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