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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.

For more than a decade, California students have had the option of taking courses such as statistics and data science to meet their required third year or recommended fourth year of math for admission to California’s public universities. This week, a faculty committee at the University of California took a radical step toward removing both of those options. 

An essential voice in the debate over how math should be taught is getting louder. The students themselves are increasingly being invited to participate in shaping the future of mathematics instruction. We should all be listening to their candid advice.

North Carolina schools enroll students in higher-level math courses based on their previous grades or test scores. Under a 2018 law, high-performing students are automatically placed into advanced courses the following year. Even before that, the state of Washington piloted an automatic-enrollment program that saw large-percentage increases of students of color taking advanced courses in math...