Suing State Education Offices and Inglewood Unified School District on Behalf of Students Denied Equal Access to Advanced Placement (AP) Courses – ACLU of Southern California

ACLU of Southern California Files Class Action Lawsuit Addressing Inequities in Access to AP Courses

Introduction

The ACLU of Southern California (ACLU/SC) has initiated a civil rights class action lawsuit, Daniel v. State of California, in the California Superior Court. The lawsuit advocates on behalf of public high school students who are being denied equal and adequate access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses. This legal action highlights significant educational disparities and aligns with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Legal Basis and Constitutional Obligations

• The lawsuit charges the State of California with violating the Equal Protection Clause and the Education Clause of the California Constitution.
• Public education is recognized as a fundamental right under the California Constitution, obligating the State to address and correct inequities within the school system.
• This case is a pioneering example of the denial of equal educational opportunities following Proposition 209.

Educational Inequality and Its Impact

The State’s failure to ensure equal access to AP courses perpetuates educational inequalities, disproportionately affecting students from lower-income, predominantly African-American and Latino schools. This situation undermines the achievement of SDG 4 and SDG 10 by limiting opportunities for marginalized communities.

“California is flunking out when it comes to educating these students,” stated Mark Rosenbaum, ACLU/SC Legal Director. “This is a two-tiered educational system. In the face of its own data, with its eyes wide shut, California places hundreds of thousands of its children on uneven playing fields sodded with quicksand.”

Overview of the AP Program

1. The AP program, developed over 40 years ago by the College Board and administered by Educational Testing Services, offers high school students the opportunity to engage in college-level coursework.
2. AP courses are more challenging than regular and honors courses, fostering greater intellectual and scientific development.
3. Completion of AP courses benefits students by:
   • Adding an extra point to their GPA calculation for University of California admissions, enabling GPAs above the traditional 4.0 scale.
   • Allowing students who score 3 or higher on AP exams to earn college credit, reducing tuition costs and enabling them to bypass introductory college classes.

Disparities in AP Course Availability

The lawsuit highlights the limited AP course offerings in certain school districts:

• Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) offers only 3 AP courses despite student demand and academic qualification.
• Comparative examples illustrate disparities:
  • Beverly Hills High School, with a 76.6% white student body, offers 14 AP subjects and 45 AP classes.
  • Arvin High School, with a 93.2% African-American and Latino student body and lower income levels, offers only 2 AP courses.

These disparities systematically marginalize African-American, Latino, and low-income students from accessing California’s most prestigious public universities, contravening SDG 10’s goal to reduce inequalities.

Consequences for University Admissions

In 1998, UC Berkeley rejected 8,000 applicants with GPAs of 4.0 or higher, favoring students with higher GPAs due to AP course enrollment. This underscores the critical role AP courses play in university admissions and the systemic disadvantage faced by students without adequate AP access.

Statements from ACLU/SC Representatives

Rocio Cordoba, ACLU/SC staff attorney, emphasized: “Although California has been in the forefront nationally in offering AP courses, such courses must be made equally available to minority and poor students who have the capacity and drive to achieve in higher education. There is no reason why such students should be denied the ability to compete equally for admission to California’s elite universities, or to succeed in college degree programs, simply because their school did not provide an adequate AP program.”

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

• SDG 4: Quality Education – The lawsuit advocates for equitable access to quality education through AP courses, which are essential for academic advancement and college readiness.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Addressing disparities in AP course availability directly targets systemic inequalities based on race and income.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – The legal action promotes justice by holding the State accountable for constitutional obligations to provide equal educational opportunities.

Conclusion

The ACLU of Southern California’s class action lawsuit represents a critical step toward ensuring equitable educational opportunities for all students in California. By addressing systemic barriers to AP course access, the lawsuit supports the achievement of key Sustainable Development Goals and fosters a more just and inclusive education system.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed

1. SDG 4: Quality Education – The article focuses on equal access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses in public high schools, highlighting educational inequalities affecting minority and low-income students.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The lawsuit addresses systemic marginalization of African-American and Latino students in accessing advanced educational opportunities, which relates to reducing inequalities within and among countries.

2. Specific Targets Under the Identified SDGs

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
   • Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

1. Indicator for Target 4.1:
   • Proportion of students enrolled in AP courses in public high schools, disaggregated by income level and ethnicity.
   • Number of AP courses offered per school, especially in lower-income and minority-dominated schools.
2. Indicator for Target 4.5:
   • Disparities in access to AP courses between schools with predominantly white student bodies versus those with predominantly African-American and Latino student bodies.
3. Indicator for Target 10.2:
   • Rate of participation of marginalized groups (African-American, Latino, low-income students) in advanced educational programs such as AP courses.
   • Admission rates to prestigious universities (e.g., University of California) for students from marginalized backgrounds with access to AP courses versus those without.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: aclusocal.org