Why Calculus? Why Indeed?
Why does high school calculus, generally AP Calculus, play such an outsize role in the access to competitive colleges? And should it? Clearly the reason for the dominance of Calculus … More
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REPORT: High School Math Pathways Are Critical to Education Equity Broadly … Not Just Math Success
BERKELEY, CALIF. — Mathematics may seem timeless, but the way it’s being taught isn’t keeping up with the times. Current course sequences — or math pathways — create barriers to … More
Expanding Opportunity Through the Purpose of Math
The purpose of math is not to make students miserable. It is not to instill fear in them. And it is definitely not to create a pecking order among students. … More
College Admissions and Equitable Math Opportunity
College admissions requirements have a complex relationship with high school opportunity: On the one hand, colleges’ course-taking requirements can be a lever for improving the availability of rigorous high school … More
New Analyses Shed Light on Equity Pitfalls of Cal State’s Potential New Admissions Policy
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 … More
Can Math Be a Vehicle for Social Justice?
“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 … More
Re-thinking the Role of Algebra 2 in College Readiness
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 … More
Don’t use the SAT or ACT to undermine education accountability
Providing all students with the chance to take college admissions tests sounds like a logical way to pull disadvantaged students into the college pipeline. Unfortunately, the way state lawmakers are … More