Race/Ethnicity Over Fifty Years Of Structural Differentiation In K-12 Schooling: Period-Specific And Life-Course Perspectives

In the United States, equally performing students of different racial/ethnic groups may have different prospects for enrollment in rigorous curricular positions. Over time, the processes and operation of curricular systems have changed, and those changesmay matter for the existence of racial/ethnic differences in access. We first outline dimensions that distinguish forms of inschool structural differentiation. We then use those dimensions to describe in-school structural differentiation at different points in time in the United States. Next, the time-period-specific evidence on racial/ethnic inequality is outlined, thus embedding findings in historical time. Finally, we array findings on racial/ethnic inequality into life-course trajectories for studied cohorts, revealing that different cohorts may have documented differences in their experience with respect to race and curricular placement.