Good article although I don't agree with it. It's funny that the college he is a professor at, offered me (and others who did well on the math portion of the SATs) a full scholarship if I majored in Math and became a NYC math teacher for 2 or 3 years.

Just a bit of background, I went to NYC public school for my whole life, it's probably the most diverse school system in the world and I've also attended the the most diverse college in the US (Baruch).

I don't know anyone who dropped out of school because of math. Those who dropped out of school did so because they weren't "into" school. They failed most, if not all their classes because either they never showed up, or when they did, they never did any of the work. To me, it was all laziness or lack of interest. I did have a friend in college who didn't get into the program he wanted because he couldn't pass algebra, so he changed his major to something where he didn't have to pass it. Now, years later, he is applying to go back to school for his MBA, where he would have to take a couple of math courses, but he's willing to do it because now he see's the importance of it.

Algebra (and other math courses) forces students to think and use their brian. Most other subjects are based on memorization and regurgitation. Students always feel accomplished when solving a big math problem. Math is also a thing where you can teach it step by step, and there is mostly only 1 right clear cut answer.

I think math is great for training students brains. It's true that most won't use any of that information once they complete the course, but IMO is the same story for most subjects. I think the article is flawed by correlating algebra with dropout rates and potentionally hidering potential in other subjects. No class was designed to make students fail, students just need to apply themselves more.

I think alot of the drop-out, lack of interest and laziness stuff has to do with parents, not with the school system or certain courses.

 

I haven't read the article yet, but based on the quote in the OP, I think I can see where the author is coming from; however, the purpose of gradeschool is to provide a generalized level of education, not specialization, and I'm not sure that aspect of the education system should change. I don't think we want to have a bunch of people who can't count trying to work with a bunch of people who can't read or write.

I'm not sure how making math mandatory suppresses talent in other fields, either.

Maybe I should just read the article...

 

Anytime, I see articles like this I refer people to this link: http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=math

Algebra is the language of other sciences and the foundation for a lot of higher levels of math. Every year it seems like we lower the standard and "everyone gets a trophy."

 

The subject, not the author. Andrew Hacker Ph.D. clearly passed high school algebra.


The inability to pass the basic math requirements for a high school diploma is indicative of either a genuine learning disability or a general lack of self motivation (laziness), IMHO of course.

 

I do think there is room to consider the quality of education a person receives if they are unable to pass an algebra class rather than writing them off as "lazy." It is the school system's task to teach the subjects to the students of the community. I don't accept "the students are lazy" as an excuse for high drop-out rates.

Everybody learns differently. Refusing to teach those who don't learn effectively under an established system is not a solution in a publicly funded school.

One of the lessons that apply across all fields of study is the value of hard work and the related good feeling of success. Failure to teach such things to students is not an indictment of the student. The whole point of an education system is to teach people what they need to understand to make productive choices for the rest of their life. It just seems if you are going to let a 16 y.o. kid choose not learn basic algebra you are doing them a disservice and failing at the education they ought to be getting. Calling them "lazy" is just a way of passing the buck.

 

Algebra is useful for problem solving in everyday life and work. Whether you realize it or not, some of your reasoning is algebraically based.

 

I wrote this guy a long response email, and received an autoreply that he was out of the country. Very slick.
My response did not reveal to him the obvious benefits of taking math classes; that math backgrounds lead to higher paying jobs, etc. What I had a problem with was his idea that we should teach 'citizen statistics'. Essentially, he wants to shortcut algebra (the lowest level of actual mathematics, given that below that is considered arithmetic) in order to teach people what they "need" to know. However, how can anyone understand something like GDP deflator or Consumer Price Index if they can't do more than plug numbers into a formula? As an engineer, I am obviously biased, but I doubt anyone would disagree that a nation full of more math and technical backgrounds is more successful. Political scientists have their place in society, but they do not create such wonders as the transistor, skyscrapers, cures to lethal diseases, and discoveries on other planets. My only point of agreement with Dr. Whacker is that schools need to make math and science seem cool. Do fun experiments, show how useful things like algebra and calculus are; and maybe more will stick with it longer.

Look at how many uses of math and science concepts could be taught just using our cars. There are physics involved in racing, mechanical and electrical engineering involved in buildups and teardowns, and plenty of math in calculating gear ratios, torque specs, etc. This is the sort of thing that should be used to get kids to want to be engineers and scientists... maybe we should have an S2000 high school elective?