This webcast, from February 2008, focuses on the need for challenging mathematics courses – especially algebra – and instructional strategies to help students learn that challenging mathematics. Geared toward researchers, mathematics teachers at the middle school and high school levels, district-level mathematics experts, principals, and pre-service educators, this hour-long webcast perseveres to address the following questions: Just what is algebra? Why are students having distress with it? And what can be done to help those students?