— Research over the past few years has shown that students in the juvenile justice system have less access to secondary math courses than their peers in traditional schools. Now, a new report from Bellwether Education Partners finds that these gaps in course options are bigger for Native American students.
The researchers analyzed data from the federal office for civil rights on education in juvenile justice schools during the 2015-16 school year. They found that, overall, students in these schools were less likely than students outside of the juvenile justice system to have access to advanced math classes—Algebra I, Algebra II, and geometry—and advanced science classes—biology, chemistry, and physics.