Inequality of Access to Educational Resources: A National Report Card for Eighth-Grade Math

Abstract

This article considers social and ethnic inequality in access to resources for mathematics learning in eighth grade: favorable school disciplinary climate, advanced course offerings, teacher subject-matter preparation, and emphasis on reasoning during classroom discourse. Data are from 41 states and territories1 participating in the 1992 Trial State Assessment (TSA) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Socially advantaged students typically had greater access to these resources than did socially disadvantaged students. Access also depended on student ethnicity. However, the degree of social and ethnic inequality in access varied significantly across states. New methods for assessing and displaying state-to-state variation in social and ethnic inequality are illustrated. We argue that “report cards” displaying state differences in student proficiency are, by themselves, misleading; state differences in access to key educational resources provide an important supplement.