Unequal Access to the Mathematics Course Ladder for Rural Students in the Southern States

A lack of access to a sequence of introductory to top-level curricula in rural schools has widened the achievement disparity between rural and urban students and influenced the number of college degree holders in rural areas. Recently, surging diversity and differentiation in income levels across nonurbanized areas can serve as determinants of the development of academically rigorous course pipelines in rural schools. This study examines differentiation in spatial access to the curriculum ladder for rigorous mathematics in three southern U.S. states during the 2017–18 school year: Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Policy variations in these states yield different effects on the sequence of rigorous mathematics courses in rural high schools. Given that the mathematics course pipeline reinforces college access, access to academically challenging courses likely outweighs the rural disadvantages of college readiness in non-urban students and the persistence of inequality in public education.