Math tracking is widely used in American schools to group students according to academic ability and need. A recent study, however, found that tracking can significantly reduce students’ academic mobility, landing many in “math traps” from which escape is nearly impossible.

Study coauthors Federick Ngo (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and David Velasquez (University of Southern California) join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings, and some important implications for policy, practice and future research.

Featured Research: Ngo, Federick J., and David Velasquez. “Inside the Math Trap: Chronic Math Tracking From High School to Community College.” Urban Education, (March 2020).