This article provides a critical look into national trends of the achievement gaps between Whites and Blacks and between Whites and Hispanics over the last 3 decades based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessments. It examines multiple facets of inequity underlying the racial and ethnic achievement gaps from 3…

This article explores the concept of vertical equity in light of school reform efforts aimed at increasing academic outcomes for all students. Vertical equity, or the idea that students who bring certain educational needs to the classroom require additional resources to address those needs within the educational process, is useful as a way to…

Various strategies, used to promote equal access in the fields of elementary secondary education, higher education, and health care, are examined to assess their utility in elementary secondary education. (CJ)

A study of scheduling practices in an urban school district discovered that the practices resulted in preferential treatment for majority groups. Researchers examined class registration data for 20,000 secondary students and found the scheduling process was driven by racial bias which discouraged minorities from completing coursework leading to…

Presents reasons to distinguish between equity and enlightened self-interest in developing an agenda for equity in mathematics education, which is construed as a check on whether or not the actions taken in teaching mathematics and the resulting social arrangements are just. Three broad ways to proceed in agenda setting are presented. (SM)

Women are underrepresented in professional positions in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. Female students need to understand that such careers do not necessarily require college, but they do require mathematics. Non-college-bound females need more information about and preparation for today's technician careers, beginning in…

In August 2000, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of school children against the state of California. The suit, Williams v. State of California, alleged that the state failed to exercise its constitutional obligation to provide equal access to education for all students in the state by allowing deficient…

If schools are to combine the goals of equality and excellence, teachers and curricula must teach students to think in a structured and supportive environment. Problems with the education system are discussed. Cognitively oriented curricula and teaching strategies have had positive results in some programs. (DF)

Historically, conceptions of gender in education revolved around a distinctive set of assumptions about male and female sexuality. This article focuses on the principal arguments, related to education, associated with sexuality and sex equity during three critical periods in American history: antebellum, latter nineteenth century, early twentieth…

Attempts to implement multicultural curricula are reactive and can mitigate positive efforts to encourage student participation in learning. The article presents a framework for implementing multicultural curricula. Effective attainment of multicultural education will require disseminating successful curriculum models and cultivating teachers who…

Examines the impact on minorities of school policies dealing with curriculum, scheduling, grouping, student assessment, and discipline; identifies policies with adverse effects; and notes the difficulty in generalizing their impact for all minority students. (SM)

Examines programs to encourage girls and minority boys in mathematics, focusing on the need to address multiple equity areas. Mathematics education should involve students as active learners with plenty of hands-on activities, correct academic deficiencies, involve teachers with similar expectations for students independent of sex and race, and be…

This article discusses the intersection of sexism and racism in three aspects of minority students' educational experiences: the role of myths and stereotypes about minority student sexuality, adolescent pregnancy, and AIDS education among minority and non-minority adolescent populations. (IAH)

Provides a profile of minorities in higher education and community colleges, expressing concern for the impact of academic legitimacy on community college transfers. Challenges posed by transfer expectations are examined, and a set of conditions and models for transfer are explored. Ways to improve minority transfer are discussed. (SM)

The crisis in urban schools involves an exodus of white middle class families from the city or to private schools and a build-up of educationally disadvantaged minority students. Enrollment trends indicate that, unless appropriate action is taken, public schools will further deteriorate as they house fewer middle class students. (SM)