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Algebra is one of the biggest hurdles to getting a high school or college degree — particularly for students of color and first-generation undergrads.
It is also the single most failed course in community colleges across the country. So if you're not a STEM major (science, technology, engineering, math), why even study algebra?
That's the argument Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of the California community college system, made today in an interview with NPR's Robert Siegel.
At American community colleges, 60 percent of those enrolled are required to take at least one math course. Most — nearly 80 percent — never complete that requirement.
Oakley is among a growing number of educators who view intermediate algebra as an obstacle to students obtaining their credentials — particularly in fields that require no higher level math skills.
Their thinking has led to initiatives like Community College Pathways, which strays away from abstract algebra to engage students in real-world math applications.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @05:34PM (5 children)
Nice rant... feel better for beating the everloving shit out of that strawman?
Algebra is key to mathematical literacy. Understanding gives you the tools to reason about the relationships between numbers without being blinded by the figures.
In a capitalist world, people are going to try to trick you with numbers every day. Working out how much that car, that house, that loan REALLY costs and what happens if you miss a payment is important.
Anyone who tries to shortchange people on education, and claim it's in the students' best interest, is a cunt.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @06:14PM (4 children)
You had me listening, until you started to use four-letter words. Hint--they don't add much to any reasoned argument.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @06:39PM (2 children)
"Nice rant... feel"?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 23 2017, @01:20AM (1 child)
Or did he mean the very last word?
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Sunday July 23 2017, @11:16AM
Well, if he stopped after reading the last word, he did indeed read the whole thing, didn't he?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 23 2017, @09:25AM
umm, no one gives a flying fuck what you think say or do - especially your opinion on how people should communicate. the four letter words he used have meaning and change what is being communicated. learn some inglish curryhead.