Using data from a large urban district, this study investigated whether racial inequality in access to eighth-grade algebra is a reproduction of differences in prior opportunities to learn (as evidenced by grades, test scores, and level of prior mathematics course) or whether patterns reflect an increase in inequality such that racial differences in access remain when controlling for academic background. We considered how this varies by the racial composition of the school; further, we examined differences in access between both Black and Hispanic students and their White peers as well as differences between Black and Hispanic students. The results point to patterns of reproduction of inequality in racially integrated schools, with some evidence of increasing inequality in predominantly Hispanic schools.

The efficacy of a research-based number-sense intervention for low-achieving kinder-gartners was examined. Children ( = 126) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: a number-sense intervention followed by a number-fact practice session, an identical number-sense intervention followed by a number-list practice session, or a business-as-usual control group. The interventions were delivered in a small-group setting over 24 half-hour lessons. Both intervention groups performed better than controls on measures of number sense, arithmetic fluency, and general mathematics calculation achievement at immediate posttest. However, the number-fact practice condition gave children an additional advantage over the number-list practice condition on the outcomes at delayed posttest 8 weeks later. The number-fact practice condition was especially effective for producing gains in English learners.