How One School District’s Inequitable “Yale or Jail” Tracking System Began to Change

Segregation in America persists not just between schools and districts, but also within racially integrated schools where Black and Latinx students are often missing from the highest levels of courses. This single case study examines the changes in levels of courses offered and access to advanced classes in one school district from 2008 to 2018. The study draws on school board minutes, district programs of study, district documents, and retrospective staff interviews to understand what changed and how changes unfolded. A state initiative for virtual courses and the implementation of a financial efficiency report shaped the number of levels of courses offered, but only had a rhetorical focus on equity. A third initiative, a new course type designed by a district teacher, focused on equity in its design and implementation. While access to advanced courses did not generally improve over time, it did improve in the area targeted by the teacher’s program. The paper examines how her program developed, expanded, and avoided resistance, with implications for policy makers and researchers.