GAO Report: Students in Poorer and Smaller Schools Have Less Access to Courses That Help Prepare Them for College
“Without access to the courses they need to prepare for college, students in poorer and smaller schools are less likely to succeed in higher education, meaning they are less likely to achieve economic mobility and gain a foothold in the middle class.”
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, released a GAO report that found that students in relatively poor and small schools have less access to high school courses that help prepare them for college.
Ranking Member Scott initially requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the disparities in college preparation due to high school enrollment and course offerings in high school.
In their report, “K-12 EDUCATION: Public High Schools with More Students in Poverty and Smaller Schools Provide Fewer Academic Offerings to Prepare for College,” the GAO revealed that poverty often has profound and lasting effects on students’ academic performance. Moreover, smaller schools and certain types of schools, such as charter schools, are less likely to offer the math and science courses that many colleges look for during the admissions process.
“This GAO report is further evidence that the quality of a student’s education too often depends on their family’s zip code and bank account,” said Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03). “Without access to the courses they need to prepare for college, students in poorer and smaller schools are less likely to succeed in higher education, meaning they are less likely to achieve economic mobility and gain a foothold in the middle class. Congress must work urgently to address this gross inequity in our educational system.”
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