Hanselman Paul, Domina Thurston, Hwang NaYoung
University of California, Irvine.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Soc Forces. 2022 Jun;100(4):1722-1751. doi: 10.1093/sf/soab052. Epub 2021 May 22.
Schools can approach the task of sorting students to privileged learning opportunities in different ways, potentially creating distinct and durable educational inequality regimes. We test this idea by exploring variation in socioeconomic inequalities in advanced mathematics course-taking across California middle schools during a statewide algebra-for-all initiative. This case provides unique insight into local stratification processes since the state pressured schools to boost advanced course enrollments but provided little guidance about how to do so. We distinguish two critical organizational processes: the provision of different types of opportunities and the allocation of students to opportunities. The former, we argue, creates the potential for inequality; the latter determines what level of inequality is realized. Using panel data for all public middle schools in the state over a decade, we demonstrate a curvilinear association between opportunities and inequality, with disparities highest when opportunities are most differentiated. However, allocations at most schools were less unequal than would be expected under a test-based meritocratic allocation regime. Further, we find substantial school-level variation which is systematically related to organizational characteristics and consistent over time. These patterns provide evidence for local educational inequality regimes.
学校可以通过不同方式来安排学生获得优质学习机会的任务，这有可能形成独特且持久的教育不平等模式。我们通过探究在一项全州范围的全民代数倡议期间，加利福尼亚州各所中学在选修高等数学课程方面的社会经济不平等差异，来验证这一观点。由于该州向学校施压以提高高等课程的入学率，但对于如何做到这一点却几乎没有提供指导，所以这个案例为地方分层过程提供了独特的见解。我们区分了两个关键的组织过程：提供不同类型的机会以及将学生分配到这些机会中。我们认为，前者创造了不平等的可能性；后者则决定了实际出现的不平等程度。利用该州所有公立中学十年间的面板数据，我们证明了机会与不平等之间存在曲线关联，当机会差异最大时，差距也最大。然而，大多数学校的分配不平等程度低于基于考试的精英分配制度下的预期。此外，我们发现学校层面存在显著差异，这些差异与组织特征系统相关且随时间保持一致。这些模式为地方教育不平等模式提供了证据。
