Random Inequity in School Mathematics Education: an insurmountable problem?

The issue of inequality within mathematics education has been an important area of research for many decades, however the focus has usually centred on identifiable sub-groups of the community based on factors such as gender, ethnicity, and location.

Analysis of data collected as part of a multi-year professional development program for mathematics teachers provides evidence for the possible existence of another, more general, form of mathematics education inequity, what might be called random inequity. Given the potential prevalence of this type of disadvantage, it could prove to be an insurmountable problem for school based mathematics education.