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Some Educators Question If Algebra Should Be Required

posted by n1 on Saturday July 22 2017, @04:22PM   
from the math-is-hard dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

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

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Original Submission

• re Journalists re Journalists (Score: 3, Informative) by jelizondo on Saturday July 22 2017, @06:58PM (1 child)

  by jelizondo (653) on Saturday July 22 2017, @06:58PM (#543039) Journal

  Perhaps I’m misreading your position, but I recommend that you read “A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper” by John Allen Paulos [wikipedia.org] to get an idea of how badly journalists misinform the general public precisely because of their innumeracy.

  I concur with the majority here: If you want a High School Diploma, you should have at least a basic understanding of mathematics beyond simple arithmetic.

  Your example of getting a lawyer and consulting a mathematician is flawed. When I’m in trouble with the law I know I need a lawyer but I might be ignorant enough to know that I need to consult a mathematician to understand the Bell curve and its implications as demonstrated by Paulos’ column “Who's Counting: Testing and Hiring Disparities Need Not Imply Bias” [go.com]. Think how many newspaper articles have been written about racial bias without understanding the concept of the Bell curve.

  Cheers

  Parent

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• Re:re Journalists (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @11:38PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 22 2017, @11:38PM (#543163)

  Gell-Mann amnesia effect
  https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=17334&cid=450584#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]

  Parent