Achieve, Inc., and National Governors Association
America's High Schools: The Front Line in the Battle for Our Economic Future, 2005
This report spells out why high school improvements are crucial to our economic well-being. Prepared by Achieve and the National Governors Association for the 2005 Summit, it shows that the skills needed for college and work today are largely the same and are significantly more advanced than in previous years. As other nations gain ground on us educationally and as technology makes outsourcing or relocation easier, employers have more places to look for skilled workers. More....

Adelman, Clifford
U.S. Department of Education
The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School through College, 2006
This study follows a nationally representative cohort of students from high school through college to show major predictors for the completion of a bachelor’s degree. It found that significant factors include: high school curricula, postsecondary benchmarks, students’ time management, college migration and students’ academic performance.

Bailey, Thomas R., Katharine L. Hughes and Melinda Mechur Karp
Teachers College, Columbia University
What Role Can Dual Enrollment Programs Play in Easing the Transition between High School and Postsecondary Education?, 2002
This report looks at strategies to better connect high school to higher education, focusing on dual-enrollment programs.

Bol, Linda and Robert Quinlyn Berry
Project MUSE
"Understanding the Significance of Context: A Framework to Examine Equity and Reform in Secondary Mathematics," 2005
This article outlines a contextual framework for secondary mathematics reform that includes time and quality in ensuring the equity of the reform. It stresses the importance of understanding and addressing varying systemic constraints in implementation.

Carey, Kevin
"High Schools Failing to Prepare Many College-Bound Students for Science Careers," 2006
The article recommends raising the bar for high schools’ math courses to increase the number of students graduating from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in college and pursuing careers in those fields.

Carnevale, Anthony P. and Donna M. Desrochers
The Democratization of Mathematics
Globalization in an increasingly knowledge-based economy demands that mathematics not only be taught in abstraction but also used to teach analytical skills. This article argues for making mathematics accessible, practical and relevant to the needs of society.

Conley, David T.
The College Board
Understanding University Success, 2003
This report identifies the skills and knowledge in English, mathematics, the natural sciences, social studies, foreign language and the arts that students need to succeed in entry-level university courses.

Cooney, Sondra and Gene Bottoms
Southern Regional Education Board
"Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link," 2002
This article contends that exposing middle grades students to more challenging courses while providing them with adult supports and mentoring is fundamental to ensure better high school performance. It argues for a more rigorous preparation in middle school to ease students’ transition to college-preparatory courses.

Gamoran, Adam and Eileen C. Hannigan
JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive
"Algebra for Everyone? Benefits of College-Preparatory Mathematics for Students with Diverse Abilities in Early Secondary School," 2000
This report presents new evidence on the benefits of college-preparatory mathematics, particularly algebra, for students with disparate level of competencies. The report found that algebra is beneficial for all students, although its benefits are smaller for students with very low prior achievement.

Horn, L. and L.K. Kojaku
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
High School Academic Curriculum and the Persistence Path through College: Persistence and Transfer Behavior of Undergraduates 3 Years After Entering 4-year Institutions, 2001
This report found the numbers of students taking rigorous high school courses positively affects college persistence for all students. It examines socioeconomics, types of college and freshman grade point average as part of the methodology.

Horn, L. and A.M. Nuñez
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Mapping the Road to College: First-generation Students' Math Track, Planning Strategies, and Context of Support, 2000
This report compares first-generation students (those whose parents have no more than a high school education) with their peers whose parents attended college. It focuses on mathematics courses, including the effectiveness of taking algebra in 8th grade and advanced math courses in high school, as well as the planning strategies to prepare for college. The report also examines the involvement of students’ parents, teachers and others capable of helping them prepare for college.

Kress, Helen
American Secondary Education, Fall 2005, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 48–56
"Math as a Civil Right: Social and Cultural Perspectives on Teaching and Teacher Education," 2005
The author seeks to instill the view that learning mathematics is a new civil right that will provide better opportunities for students’ futures. The report calls for all prospective teachers to become literate in mathematics for middle and high school grades, regardless of the subjects they teach.

Matthews, Lou Edward
Project MUSE
"Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of the Achievement Gap"
This report aims to understand teachers’ perceptions of the causes of the achievement gap in mathematics. It found that a majority of secondary mathematics teachers attribute the gap to inherent student characteristics. However, most postsecondary mathematics educators rest the blame on curriculum and instruction. Teachers’ professional development, curricular changes, community building and more equitable policies are suggested to remedy the situation.

Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
Update to State Dual Enrollment Policies: Addressing Access and Quality, 2005
This document provides new information on the dual-enrollment policies highlighted in the 2004 report, State Dual Enrollment Policies: Addressing Access and Quality. One of the major goals of the project is identifying state-level policies that support, or inhibit, the development and implementation of credit-based transition programs.

Public Policy Institute of California
"Higher Math in High School Means Higher Earnings Later," 2001
This article studies the relationship between mathematics courses and future earnings. It found that advanced mathematics courses were linked to higher college graduation rates and higher future earnings.

Roach, Ronald
"Under Construction: Building the Engineering Pipeline," 2006
This article illustrates problems and proposes solutions to help raise minority student retention and graduation rates in the field of engineering.

Rose, Heather and Julian R. Betts
Math Matters: The Links Between High School Curriculum, College Graduation, and Earnings, 2001
This study examines the relationship between mathematics in high school and earnings 10 years later. The authors study a variety of characteristics: the student’s demographic characteristics, measures of student motivation and ability, family background, and high school characteristics. They find that the relationship between curriculum and earnings remains quite strong and that the rigor of courses is more important than the number of courses.

Rosenbaum, James E.
American Federation of Teachers
Time to Tell the Kids: If You Don't Do Well in High School, You Won Do Well in College (or on the Job), 2004
This report examines open-enrollment admissions and the large numbers of students who enter college but do not graduate. It discusses steps needed to increase the odds of college graduation and ways to help students find productive, successful post-high school paths.

Rousseau, Celia K. and Angiline Powell
Project MUSE
"Shooting for the Stars: A Case Study of the Mathematics Achievement and Career Attainment of an African American Male High School Student," 2005
This study identifies key themes to clarify the current misunderstanding of male African American students’ mathematics achievement and career attainment. The research is based on a case study of Malik Williams, a black student who demythologizes his racial stereotype.

Schoeff, Mark Jr.
Workforce Management, March 13, 2006, pp. 46–49
Amid calls to bolster U.S. innovation, experts lament paucity of basic math skills.     

Steen, Lynn Arthur
Quantitative Literacy: Why Numuracy Matters for Schools and Colleges. This is Mathematical Association of America feature article by a former MAA president summarizes resources available related to quantitative literacy initiatives.

Venezia, Andrea, Michael W. Kirst and Anthony L. Antonio
Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research
Betraying the College Dream: How Disconnected K–12 and Postsecondary Education Systems Undermine Student Aspirations, 2003
This is the final policy report from Stanford University’s Bridge Project, a six-year national study. It shows that U.S. high school students have higher educational aspirations than ever, with higher percentages of students from all races stating that they plan to pursue postsecondary education. But it also found that states have created barriers between high school and college that are undermining these student aspirations.

Warburton, E.C., R. Bugarin and A.M. Nuñez
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Bridging the Gap: Academic Preparation and Postsecondary Success of First-generation Students, 2001
This report examines the high school preparation and postsecondary persistence of first-generation students (students whose parents had no education beyond high school) and compares them with students whose parents went to college. It found that rigorous preparation in high school substantially narrows the gap in postsecondary outcomes between first-generation students and their peers whose parents graduated from college.