New York City's elite public specialized high schools have a long history of offering a rigorous college preparatory education to the City's most academically talented students. Though immensely popular and highly selective, their policy of admitting students on the basis of a single entrance exam has been heavily criticized. Many argue, for…

When California adopted its new mathematics standards at the turn of this century, state leaders raised the expectations for its K-12 students, including encouraging them to take Algebra I in 8th grade. This brief looks at how California's high school students are meeting the state's high academic standards in math. It focuses on access to and…