Strong early math skills equal later algebra success

In this Hechinger Report article, Samuels features research from a new CALDER Texas working paper showing that early math skills—visible as early as third grade—strongly predict whether students will later pass Algebra I. The researchers find that achievement gaps in Algebra I largely mirror gaps in early foundational math, which begin well before third grade and widened during the pandemic. Samuels notes that improving early elementary math instruction, especially for students who start out behind, is more effective than structural policy changes made in later grades. Read the full article below.