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Evidence for Racialized Distribution of Educational Opportunity? The Case of Access to Algebra I in Eighth Grade in New Jersey
In this research article, Vandeen A. Campbell, Elisabeth H. Kim, and Darnell Leatherwood apply a quantitative critical race theory, known as QuantCrit, framework to established racial exposure segregation measures and propose that these measures can be used to indicate the extent to which systemic racism or advantageous race-conscious processes influence access to important educational resources. The authors study the role of normative explanatory factors, like prior achievement relative to segregation measures, in predicting the likelihood of offering algebra I in eighth grade for the school years 2013–2014 through 2017–2018 in New Jersey schools, following the addition of algebra I to the state's graduation requirements. Using multilevel event history analysis on data from a number of sources, the authors find that district-level Black-White segregation is associated with increased likelihood of algebra I access, while Latinx-White segregation is associated with decreased likelihood of access. District factors account for most of the variation in course offerings, while school-level factors like teacher-student ratio, administrator-student ratio, and prior achievement have limited influence in these models. These findings underscore the influence of racialized mechanisms on algebra I access and concurrently challenge conventional explanations attributing disparities to resource constraints, achievement levels, or timing. The findings also indicate recent propensity for positive change in educational opportunity in contexts of greater Black-White segregation after controlling for Latinx-White segregation, and they point to the importance of race-conscious policies.
