According to The Washington Post, the move toward mandatory Algebra II in high schools is growing.
The Post found that more states are requiring the course, citing it as link to students’ success.
Reporter Peter Whoriskey put it this way: “Of all of the classes offered in high school, Algebra II is the leading predictor of college and work success … In recent years, 20 states and the District (of Columbia) have moved to raise graduation requirements to include Algebra II.
“… the effort has been led by Achieve, a group organized by governors and business leaders and funded by corporations and their foundations, to improve the skills of the workforce.
“… [W]hether learning Algebra II causes students to fare better in life, or whether it is merely correlated with them doing better – because smart, motivated kids take Algebra II – isn’t clear.”
Unfortunately, Michigan lawmakers, pressured by parents and the education community in 2009, ran away from the state’s Algebra II requirement just three years after it was put into place at the urging of former governor Jennifer Granholm.
The politicians decided that Algebra II was just too hard, and that a good vocational math class could suffice as a reasonable substitute.
