How should math and science be taught in California? What courses or pathways would best prepare and equip students to succeed in college and careers? And how does California achieve that while facing a shortage of teachers in both math and science. How well students do in each of these major areas of the curriculum have long-range implications for California’s future. Also see our special project on Teaching mathematics in California.
Detractors and supporters disagree on whether teaching standards through “big ideas” and creating new high school pathways will achieve more equitable outcomes for all students.
Funding to train teachers and build school districts' capacity to provide high-quality instruction in math and science is a priority in Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget, but not in the Legislature's. The governor is right.
California's new mathematics framework must increase access to advanced math but also ensure that all students have the preparation they need for college and careers in STEM fields.
Instead of arguing over which advanced math courses best prepare high school students for their futures, California policymakers must ensure that all students have access to multiple high-quality options.
Too many students already have a tense relationship with mathematics. We must find better ways to set high expectations for learners that are grounded in individual student thinking rather than their dates of birth.
California's new math framework builds on the practices of countries with the best outcomes for teaching math and provides guidance on how to develop students’ belief in their own ability to learn.
Calculus is expected to be hard; it should not be impossible. College math departments must acknowledge their responsibility to remove barriers that bar access to STEM for historically excluded groups.
