The Role of Higher Education in High School Math Reform

While there is interest in pathways-aligned high school math reform among secondary education stakeholders, change in high school math depends a great deal on policies, practices, and norms at the higher education level. This report focuses on the role of higher education in influencing (encouraging or deterring) secondary education math reform. To better understand this topic, researchers from the Community College Research Center (CCRC) and the Education Strategy Group (ESG) conducted interviews with representatives from national secondary math education organizations as well as individuals from each of three states participating in Launch Years-- Georgia, Texas, and Washington--who are engaged in efforts to reform high school math. This report first presents findings on the ways that higher education affects secondary math reform in broad terms, relying on data from these interviews. This is done by describing several domains of higher education practice identified by the interviewees that tend to present challenges to high school math reform. The report discusses potential solutions to these challenges and considers ways that higher education can facilitate high school reform efforts. The report then presents short case studies of secondary math reform efforts in three states (all of which have also undertaken math pathways reforms--at least to some extent--at the college level) with a focus on the influence of higher education in effecting change. The report concludes with a brief discussion of an overarching theme that appears to be central to much of this work: the importance of sustained conversation and collaboration between math educators and administrators from both sectors--higher education and K-12--in moving secondary math reform forward.