Disparities in curricular offerings between poor, inner-city schools and their more affluent counterparts leave urban students at a disadvantage in terms of preparation for higher education and future job opportunities. Introducing more rigorous academic coursework into traditionally low-performing schools is one way to close this gap; however, the addition of advanced classes is only part of moving a school to a higher level of academic performance. Using a framework developed by Oakes, we investigate the technical, normative, and political dimensions of the turnaround of an inner-city high school through a case study of the introduction of advanced placement calculus. The authors find that the calculus course is not an isolated effort but part of a package of increased academic expectations of students and staff and an influx of financial and personnel resources stemming from the school's position of political priority.
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