The upcoming high school exit exam requires not just knowledge of Algebra, but a solid grounding in elementary school and middle school mathematics.
Historical perspective is gained by revisiting a debate that began over one hundred years ago.
In 1893, a group of educators called the Committee of Ten released a report on what a high school education should be. These educators expressed the view that every student attending high school should have the same rigorous curriculum, regardless of socio-economic or cultural background. In 1918, another group of educators expressed a completely different view in a report called the Cardinal Principles of Education. Their view was that not all children need to be prepared for college, and that vocational and other course work should be given. Although there was scorn for these new immigrants, there were also large numbers of greatly respected public educational institutions that offered newly arrived immigrants the opportunity to raise themselves socio-economically and to integrate into the American economy.