Try to Stay Abreast of Trends in Education, but... This morning on the news, my 15 year old heard that the Texas State Board of Education is likely to get rid of Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement. At first he rejoiced, then he got angry because he is currently taking Algebra 2. "I should have waited!" he yelled. My 13 year old gave a smirk that translated into "Too bad for you, but great for me." Back in July 2012, an article entitled "Is Algebra Necessary?" appeared in the Opinion Pages of the New York Times. It questions the necessity of upper mathematics courses in general. In November 2013, I had a chance to share the article with high school teachers in New Orleans, La. and high school teachers in Houston, TX. The discussions got pretty heated with both groups, but there were more supporters for keeping the courses than getting rid of them. The arguments presented in the article have since gained traction and now in January 2014, we see that the Texas State Board of Education will likely eliminate Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement. Of course, it will still be offered but will be taken by significantly fewer students. I am still trying to decide if this is a good or bad thing for students. What do you think? Everyday I try to make the right decisions for kids. I'm a mom!