The past three decades in mathematics education policy and research have seen a considerable focus on algebra and its place in secondary schools. Access to and success in the first high school course, most often termed Algebra I, has been framed as a civil rights issue, a harbinger of college success, and a lynchpin to global competitiveness.…

The purpose of this study was to analyze how self-efficacy interacts with technology integration in Algebra 1 classrooms. A case study approach was used to discover how technology was integrated into Algebra 1 classrooms in a comprehensive high school. The findings were analyzed based on the teachers' locus of control to understand how the…

In 1997, Chicago implemented a policy that required algebra for all ninth-grade students, eliminating all remedial coursework. This policy increased opportunities to take algebra for low-skill students who had previously enrolled in remedial math. However, little is known about how schools respond to the policy in terms of organizing math…

This study evaluates a curriculum policy that required college preparatory coursework for all students, using data from Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Beginning in 1997, CPS ended remedial coursework and required all students to complete a college-preparatory course sequence for graduation. In this study, the authors constrain their analysis to the…

The development of educational policy in Russia during the Soviet period, 1917-1930, and the relationship of that policy to Russia's educational heritage was investigated. Analyzed was the extent to which educational policies under the new regime actually succeeded in departing from cultural patterns established in the older society. Since…

This study contributes to the field by identifying a broad range of traditional and newer middle grade policies and practices, and determining in California which of these differentiate higher- from lower-performing schools serving similar student populations, with performance measured by the state's standards-based tests. Based on a sample of 303…

In the 2008-09 school year researchers from EdSource and Stanford University conducted a large-scale study of 303 middle grades schools in California. The team surveyed 303 principals, 3,752 English Language Arts (ELA) and math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents of the districts and charter management organizations that oversee the…

Examines curriculum and achievement in the United States and Japan in seventh and eighth grade algebra and twelfth grade elementary functions and calculus using data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS). Results suggest that U.S. curricula do not match the SIMS as well as do Japanese curricula. (SLD)