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A pandemic-era experiment—making the SAT/ACT optional for college admission—is now being rolled back at colleges and universities across the country. And this reversal is going to come at a big cost to underserved students.

Today, many college systems are phasing out remedial courses, largely in response to a decade or so of research. Instead of relying on remedial courses and traditional placement tests, colleges are increasingly placing these students into college-level courses with appropriate supports, such as corequisite courses. 

The typical high school math sequence of Algebra/Geometry/Algebra II dates back 130 years. Many students, as well as a number of teachers, are saying they want more from their math courses.States have different ways of addressing the challenge of how to provide routes to multiple forms of advanced math—an issue that is often hotly debated...

When it comes to the future of our society and our democracy, the stakes have never been higher—for how math is taught and learned. As reliance on technology and algorithms grows across every industry, equitable math opportunities in high school and higher education are more critical than ever. Yet, that necessity continues to go unmet for too many students—especially Black, Latinx, and low-income students. 

“A paltry 28 percent of STEM grads are working in … supposedly in-demand, highly paid, and important STEM jobs,” according to Skrentny's recent op-ed in The Los Angeles Times. Such facts raise serious questions about the STEM education enterprise—including the emphasis on calculus, considered a launchpad for STEM futures, and a tacit requirement for admission to many selective universities.