Passing Through Science: The Effects of Raising Graduation Requirements in Science on Course-Taking and Academic Achievement in Chicago

Researchers at the University of Chicago conclude that in the wake of 1997 policy changes that increased science requirements in the Chicago Public Schools, high school students took and passed more college-prep science courses. But five out of six of them earned Cs or lower (the same grades they earned before the policy switch), graduation rates declined and most students failed to complete the science courses favored for college entry.