Should All Students Take Algebra II?

In this helpful American School Board Journal article, Patte Barth (of the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education) analyzes the research on whether Algebra II is important for college and career success. A few years ago, the answer seemed clear: the 2004 America Diploma Project and a 2005 ACT analysis strongly endorsed a single core high-school math curriculum that included Algebra II. More recently, the Common Core math standards include that content. Twenty years ago, slightly less than half of students took Algebra II, with African-American and Hispanic students seriously underrepresented. Today, three-quarters of students take the course, the racial achievement gap has virtually disappeared, and high-school graduation rates have gone up for all groups.

But some recent studies have questioned whether this level of math content is necessary for college and/or careers. Barth is skeptical about these skeptics. “If the purpose of high school were solely to prepare new graduates for their immediate next step,” she says, “districts might want to think about distinct, career-centered math pathways. But of course, educators, parents, and communities view the purpose of schooling as much more than career prep.” She quotes Claus von Zastrow (of Change the Equation): “If you had had to choose your career path when you were 14, what might you have become? Would you have had the foresight and guidance to choose wisely?” Many students, especially those from less-privileged backgrounds, need schools to push and guide them to courses that will open options down the road.

“One thing we can be sure of is that we cannot be sure of the future,” says Barth. “The occupations young people enter today may not even exist in 10 years. I would argue that we have a responsibility to take the long view with young people’s futures and make sure that they have an academic foundation that enables them to tap back into the education pipeline when they need it. The significance of high-level math and Algebra II content to keeping these options open cannot be overstated.” 

And there’s another dimension, she argues: shouldn’t all students be exposed to the elegance of mathematics for the same reasons they are exposed to the beauty of literature and the arts? They may not use all these skills and insights, but on the other hand, they might.

“Research: The Curious Case of Algebra II” by Patte Barth in American School Board Journal, September 2013 (Vol. 200, #8, p. 34-35), www.asbj.com; Barth is at pbarth@nsba.org. 

From the Marshall Memo #498