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When California State University faculty first proposed requiring applicants to complete a math or quantitative reasoning course in their senior year of high school, they specifically recommended that the system “investigate the impact these requirements may have on the success of all students, particularly those from historically underserved populations.”

“Why should anyone care about mathematics if it doesn’t connect deeply to some human desire: to play, seek truth, pursue beauty, fight for justice?” wondered Francis Su, former president of the Mathematical Association of America, in his 2017 address entitled “Mathematics for Human Flourishing.”

Algebra 2 course-taking in high school has long been viewed as a key predictor of future college enrollment. However, that link stems primarily from higher education policies that traditionally required Algebra 2 for admission and college algebra for graduation, not necessarily from direct benefits of algebra learning.

“A century ago it was Greek and Latin. Today, it’s the quadratic formula.” That’s what Opportunity Institute founder Christopher Edley, Jr. told the PBS NewsHour about how mathematics requirements can serve as arbitrary educational filters that disproportionately hurt kids who have less access to advanced instruction.

California State University is preparing to unveil a proposal to require an additional, fourth year of math or quantitative reasoning for admission to any of its 23 campuses. Some proponents have argued that such a policy will help reduce gaps in preparation across racial and ethnic groups.