Our students are in a predicament, and the education systems in place are letting them down.

At this year’s Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) in Seattle, I had the privilege of hosting a day-long special session about mathematics pathways that included eight sessions with 13 speakers and panelists. One great discussion with two of our presenters, Dr. Ted Coe and Dr. Dave Kung, was about how we find ourselves in a situation where we have too much calculus and too little calculus in our education systems simultaneously. 

How is that possible? 

Growing Importance

Between 1955 and now, the algebraically intensive pathway to calculus has become a major part of education in the United States. The K–12 system shifted from very rarely offering calculus to anyone to having approximately 50% of schools offer AP Calculus (plus some offering other versions) and 16% of high school graduates having studied calculus. 

Calculus (or college algebra on the path to calculus) has been seen as a major readiness indicator for college admissions over the years. And, while it was rarely an official requirement for most colleges, completing calculus was a way to boost competitiveness in admissions processes for higher education.

Inequitable Access

With a huge increase in the opportunity to study on the pathway to calculus over the last 70 years, access to those opportunities have not been distributed equally. 

A recent report by Just Equations and NACAC, “The Limits of Calculus: Revisiting the role of math education in college admissions,” states that white students have taken calculus in high school at twice the rates of Latinx students and three times the rate of Black students. They also found that the number of graduates completing calculus from the wealthiest quintile of families is more than four times that from the lowest quintile. As getting to calculus typically requires students to accelerate in their mathematics studies, the disparities start well before students enter high school. 

STEM Implications

This situation has serious implications on the choices students have for career paths. Students who do not have access to calculus in high school start off ”behind” in a STEM journey.

Will they continue to persist and eventually pursue a STEM career, which is a sector of the labor market that offers many higher paying jobs and is quickly growing? Or will students cross STEM careers off their lists before they fully explore the possibilities, simply because the educations systems inequitably offer calculus courses?

What Math Is Studied?

While discrepancies in access to calculus is clearly an issue that needs to be resolved, the fixation on calculus in high school and into the higher education system has also meant that the study of other valuable types of mathematical thinking have been overshadowed and crowded out (Burdman, et al, 2024) of our curriculum. 

The algebraic reasoning taught in the calculus pathway is incredibly important in preparation for STEM careers. However, statistical reasoning and data science are important in STEM careers as well, in addition to being imperative in social and health sciences and business and journalism. Quantitative reasoning is immensely important to success in careers in the humanities and arts. Quantitative and statistical reasoning also contribute greatly to creating a mathematically literate society that can understand and analyze the world around them.

High School Mathematics Reimagined

So, it’s an interesting conundrum. In one way, too much of a focus on calculus is causing issues when we would benefit from ensuring students have a broader range of rigorous, relevant mathematics to study in high school and into postsecondary. And at the same time, many students of color and students from lower income communities are being excluded from STEM careers due to inequitable access to the calculus pathway. 

Current efforts around pathways, as addressed in the recent publication with our partners at NCTM and ASSM, High School Mathematics Reimagined, Revitalized, and Relevant, have two goals around broadening access to meaningful mathematics in high school: 

1. Increase access to the calculus pathway. Any student who has interest in an algebraically intensive study in mathematics, in preparation for a STEM career or not, should have access to and effective support for success in the calculus pathway.

2. Increase the perception of value and offerings in mathematics pathways that build statistical and quantitative reasoning. Courses such as data science, statistics, and quantitative reasoning offer vital benefits to our society and equip students with mathematics they need across many career options, including STEM careers. 

Do your students have equitable access to the calculus pathway if that is their interest? Does your school/district/state offer and value mathematics pathways that focus on statistical and quantitative reasoning for students with a variety of interests? As we see movement toward more equitable access to multiple mathematics pathways across both k-12 and higher education, I hope you will join in and take the lead in conversations in your community about ensuring access to the study of mathematics that best meets each students’ needs.

— Katey Arrington, NCSM President

Math pathways. Complete College America. (2020, October 24). https://completecollege.org/strategy/math-pathways/#:~:text=Math%20Pathways%20encourage%20students%20to,that%20implement%20the%20following%20components: 

Burdman, P., Heller, R., Baker, M. (2024) The limits of calculus: Revisiting the role of math education in college admissions. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61afa2b5ded66610900a0b97/674e10d56c6d7066cfaf20cd_JE_DEC%202024_THE%20LIMITS%20OF%20CALCULUS.pdf

Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin. (2019). The Case for Mathematics Pathways. https://dcmathpathways.org/sites/default/files/resources/2019-03/CaseforMathPathways_20190313.pdf

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2024-2025

NCSM Book Study 2025

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Atlanta Conference

October 13-15, 2025

National Survey of Middle School Mathematics Education

Horizon Research, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Idaho and the University of Rochester, is conducting a study focused on the state of mathematics education and conditions impacting mathematics education in middle schools in the US. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation. Grades 5–9 mathematics teachers and administrators/curriculum specialists who work in middle schools that serve students from small towns or rural communities are eligible for the study.

Please take 5 minutes to register for the survey:  

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8067232/Study-Registration

All eligible participants who register and complete a 45-minute survey will receive $25. Our goal is to have 1000 middle school mathematics teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists participate, so please feel free to share information about this study with others. 

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Craven, the Study Coordinator ([email protected]).