Diversity in AP: Virtual vs. In Person (6)

Throughout high school, I have taken accelerated and AP classes at Roosevelt and Central Academy. One of the things that has always been an issue with these classes, especially at Roosevelt, is that the student population of these classes is not entirely representative of the student body i.e., the classes are majority white, while the student population is nearly 50/50 BIPoC and white students. However, in the 2020-2021 school year when classes got switched to virtual and we as DMPS students became one larger student body, the core demographics and structures of the classes changed. This year, only one of my AP teachers was actually from Roosevelt High School, the other two I had (besides Central) were from North and East, respectively. In these new virtual comprehensive classes, one of the most significant differences I noticed was that there were actually a lot more BIPoC students in them. Even without having our cameras on or really fully knowing each other, by the profile pictures, names, and interactions through class discussions, it was clear that there was much greater representation than there had ever been throughout the past three years combined. 

This was particularly noticeable in my AP Literature class where it was more interactive and the teacher made a strong effort to keep the students engaged. Our teacher, who was from North, had daily questions that each student answered in the chat, ranging from discussions of the books we were reading to our favorite foods, and even online all of these discussions were comforting because I felt I could really relate to the experiences of my classmates. It also made our discussions much more engaging because there were so many diverse perspectives that I wasn't used to in my typical AP classes. As I have been reflecting on this experience, I wondered how it was that a large  majority of  my class was BIPoC students, when this is something I had never seen  before. With my knowledge of the racial disparities in AP classes at Roosevelt, I looked for data about the other Des Moines public high schools. Using Miseducation-ProPublica , a website that breaks down inequalities from states, to districts, to individual schools, I found the data regarding AP enrollment at each DMPS high school, with the comparisons listed below. 

Lincoln High School

Des Moines, IA

2,251 Students| 111 Teachers

Overall Composition

AP Course Composition

Suspension Composition

Black

Hispanic

White

Asian

Two+

Native Am.

70%
Students Who Get Free/Reduced Price Lunch

School: 70%

0

100%

47%
Non-white Students

School: 47%

0

100%

East High School

Des Moines, IA

2,307 Students| 126 Teachers

Overall Composition

AP Course Composition

Suspension Composition

Black

Hispanic

White

Asian

Two+

Native Am.

75%
Students Who Get Free/Reduced Price Lunch

School: 75%

0

100%

63%
Non-white Students

School: 63%

0

100%

North High School

Des Moines, IA

1,263 Students| 78 Teachers

Overall Composition

AP Course Composition

Suspension Composition

Black

Hispanic

White

Asian

Two+

Native Am.

85%
Students Who Get Free/Reduced Price Lunch

School: 85%

0

100%

69%
Non-white Students

School: 69%

0

100%

Hoover High School

Des Moines, IA

1,792 Students| 84 Teachers

Overall Composition

AP Course Composition

Suspension Composition

Black

Hispanic

White

Asian

Two+

Native Am.

53%
Students Who Get Free/Reduced Price Lunch

School: 53%

0

100%

48%
Non-white Students

School: 48%

0

100%

Roosevelt High School

Des Moines, IA

1,080 Students| 60 Teachers

Overall Composition

AP Course Composition

Suspension Composition

Black

Hispanic

White

Asian

Two+

Native Am.

75%
Students Who Get Free/Reduced Price Lunch

School: 75%

0

100%

68%
Non-white Students

School: 68%

0

100%































This data shows us that even with slight disparities, students enrolled in AP courses at North High School and East High School are much more reflective of the entire student body, which is how it should be in order to achieve equity. Furthermore, East has nearly double the students at Roosevelt, which further increases the amount of BIPoC students likely to be enrolled in AP courses. Overall, there are two significant points to take away from this data. The first is that while the disparities are generally seen across the district and the nation, they can be controlled by individual schools, the second thing is that when pooling from the collective student body of the district, the chances of BIPoC students being enrolled in AP courses is significantly higher. The next piece that fits in with this conclusion is Central Academy. Central Academy is that school that exists to bring accelerated students from across the district together to learn in collaboration. So theoretically, the classes in Central Academy should have many more students of color than they actually do. This of course has to do with retention rates, which I discussed in my week 3 blog. Furthermore, from my experience in virtual learning, we can see that having AP courses with a much larger BIPoC student population is not difficult to accomplish, because it entirely has to do with being willing to adapt to have a safer environment for BIPoC students. To do this, I would recommend modeling after the teachers who have made it work, asking them how they run their classroom and asking their students what they enjoy about the classes they take with those teachers. 


Gabriella S. Hoard

Comments

  1. Ms. DunleyMay 25, 2021 at 7:00 AM

    Why is the data base for TRHS so small? Are the missing number of students overall who take AP courses lost to CA? Is this data also telling us about the disparities about who attends CA? How could we get the CA data since it is a program and not a school?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gabriella hoardMay 26, 2021 at 9:05 AM

      The CA data is also available on this website!! I just didn't want to use it for this particular scenario because I know the disparities would look a lot different for different reasons. Yes, I think the missing data is likely due to the students who take courses there.

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