SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Sunday July 23 2017, @01:57AM
Fixed that. Choosing dropping the most important part of maths instead of making sure it's taught by someone who knows what they're teaching (instead of the nearest warm body in the staff room) is NOT something an educator would do.
Having credentials means having proved the ability to perform at some level. Not being able to work out if you've been given correct change is not a credential.
Offhand, I can't think of any profession or skilled trade which doesn't require the use of algebra (even if the position holder isn't aware of using it).
Which usually evolves into what the high school students involved refer to as "vegie maths".
Disclaimer: retired maths/science (and sometime "trade") teacher.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.