Intersectional Inequality in American Education: A Systemic Quantitative Review

• In Event: Race, Antiblackness, and White Supremacy in Education

Abstract

Despite the intense interest in intersectional inequality (between race-ethnicity, class, and gender effects) in recent decades, the evidentiary base to substantiate its prevalence in American education is extremely thin. This study will analyze multiple nationally representative data sets that cover primary and secondary education over the past 30 years to provide the first systematic description of intersectional inequality on educational achievement and attainment outcomes. The main finding is that one pattern of intersectional inequality consistently stands out: for both achievement and attainment outcomes, family background has dramatically differing effects across race-ethnic groups. Specifically, Black and Hispanic students experience smaller advantages to being raised in higher SES households than white students, and low SES Asian students substantially outperform all other groups.

Author

• William Carbonaro, University of Notre Dame