Relation of Opportunity to Learn Advanced Math to the Educational Attainment of Rural Youth

Regression analyses demonstrated that when previous math achievement is accounted for, rural students take advanced math at a significantly lower rate than urban students.

Abstract

Our study examined the relation of advanced math course-taking to the educational attainment of rural youth. We used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Regression analyses demonstrated that when previous math achievement was accounted for rural students take advanced math at a significantly lower rate than urban students. Compared to urban students, rural students have less change in their math achievement from 10th to 12th grade, are less likely to be enrolled in a 4-year college two years postsecondary, and these differences are explained by advanced math course-taking. Limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed.