Advancing Access: An Exploratory Examination of Urban School Districts, School Counselors, the Black-White Advanced Placement Gap, and Exam Participation

Black students in urban school districts have endured systematic efforts to restrict their access to quality educational outcomes. Extant literature highlights that one signature impediment to Black students’ entrance into post-secondary institutions is access to Advanced Placement courses in high school, and such access is often based on the discretion of school counselors. The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to analyze national data on urban school districts to ascertain the level of access Black students had to Advanced Placement courses in high school based on having a school counselor at their school. The findings indicate that while Black students had higher enrollment than White students in all subjects (mathematics, science, and other courses), the rates at which they participated in Advanced Placement exams and passed those exams still lagged behind their White peers. Additionally, the findings illuminate that while school counselors may be present at a school, it did not correlate to equal enrollment in Advanced Placement courses by race and gender across the districts. Recommendations are provided for school counselors, urban school districts, Black students, and families.