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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.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @06:41PM (1 child)
> you don't need to know the difference of cubes or the quadratic equation in order to be a journalist
But it would be nice if journalists understood dimensional analysis and had a working knowledge of physical units (including prefixes like milli- and giga-) so that comparisons made sense. Also, a better idea of ratios so they didn't confuse "percent" and "fraction" quite as often as they do.
Unless, of course, you believe that the purpose of journalists is to scare people...
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday July 22 2017, @10:47PM
The purpose of journalists is to make people believe what the hand with the paycheck wants them to believe.