Getting Students to (and Through) Advanced Math: Where Course Offerings and Content Are Not Adding Up

• Published in: Policy File 2023
• Main Authors: Wolfe, Rebecca L, Steiner, Elizabeth D, Schweig, Jonathan
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Education; RAND Corporation

How can the United States increase diversity in STEM fields and address math proficiency gaps? Equitable opportunities for students to prepare for and take advanced math are critical to the equation. Preparation for advanced math accumulates over time. Systematic differences in students' access to advanced courses and exposure to grade-level content throughout their academic careers could signal major inequities in how schools are preparing students for post-secondary success. This report uses spring 2022 data from nationally representative surveys of principals and math teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) to explore students' opportunities to prepare for and take advanced math. The authors found that small high schools, high schools in rural areas, and high schools that predominantly serve students from historically marginalized communities tend to offer fewer advanced math courses (e.g., precalculus, Advanced Placement math courses) and that uneven access to advanced math begins in middle school. Kwho work in schools that predominately serve students living in poverty are more likely to report skipping standards-aligned content and replacing the skipped content with concepts from previous grade levels. Also, more than half of Kteachers said they need additional support for delivering high-quality math instruction, especially teachers who work in schools that serve predominantly high-poverty students. In the wake of the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students living in poverty and students of color, these results highlight a critical need for resources to support teachers and to increase student access to advanced courses.