NY Professor Says Algebra Is Too Hard, Schools Should Drop It
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Ajackson17
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A New York professor has sparked a debate among educators over whether or not algebra is too hard and should be dropped from the curriculum.
Political scientist Andrew Hacker of Queens College in New York insists the difficulty of learning algebra is responsible for
a higher dropout rate when students find they can’t grasp the discipline. The course should be excluded, Hacker says,
because the math is just too hard for students today.
“One out of 5 young Americans does not graduate from high school. This is one of the worst records in the developed
world. Why? The chief academic reason is they failed ninth-grade algebra,” Hacker says in his new book The Math Myth
and Other STEM Delusions.
The Queens College professor emeritus says only about five percent of jobs have any use for algebra and other advanced
maths, so teaching higher math is both a waste of time and causes actual damage to graduation rates.
“At the very time we should be honing and sharpening quantitative reasoning skills we punch students into algebra,
geometry, calculus. The Math People take over and ignore much simpler needs. Arithmetic is super essential — we
quantify everything,” Hacker toldThe New York Times.
Hacker went on to note that 57 percent of CUNY students failed basic algebra, “And this is getting worse with the
Common Core,” he added.
Proponents of continuing to teach algebra, though, discount Hacker’s claims. Bill McCallum, a professor at the University
of Arizona who helped create the math standards for Common Core, said that while it may be true few will go on to use
algebra on the job, the skill should be taught anyway because “we don’t know which kids” will need the skill and which
won’t.
Another top educator, Philip Uri Treisman, a professor of mathematics and of public affairs at the University of Texas,
said teaching algebra also helps train students in other ways, even if they don’t use the math later on in their careers.
“Every study I’ve ever seen of workers in whole bunches of fields shows that you have to understand formulas, you have
to understand relationships,” Treisman said. “Algebra is the tool for consolidating your knowledge of arithmetic.”
But other educators essentially agree with Hacker.
Karon Klipple, a project director for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, also noted too many
students are dropping out of college because algebra is too hard. Klipple claimed that between 60 and 80 percent of
students who drop out do so because the math requirements are too hard.
“This is where their hopes and aspirations go to die,” Klipple told the Associated Press. “They’re in college to try to make
a better life for themselves, and they’re stopped by mathematics.”
The problem seems widespread. Last year The Washington Post reported that three out of four high schoolers in
Maryland failed Algebra 1 and fn 2014 it was reported that 100,000 students in Arizona failed the state’s mandated math
testing.
Professor Hacker also went on to say the ACT and SAT testing kids go through is also useless for job skills and
contributes to lower graduation statistics.
“On the whole, I’d be happy if the ACT and SAT quietly disappeared,” he told the Times. “Speed may be necessary for
firefighters and airline pilots. But not in the intellectual enterprise. And yet, on many fronts, test scores in math provide
an edge for awards and admissions.”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/28/ny-professor-says-algebra-is-too-hard-schools-should-drop-it/
Political scientist Andrew Hacker of Queens College in New York insists the difficulty of learning algebra is responsible for
a higher dropout rate when students find they can’t grasp the discipline. The course should be excluded, Hacker says,
because the math is just too hard for students today.
“One out of 5 young Americans does not graduate from high school. This is one of the worst records in the developed
world. Why? The chief academic reason is they failed ninth-grade algebra,” Hacker says in his new book The Math Myth
and Other STEM Delusions.
The Queens College professor emeritus says only about five percent of jobs have any use for algebra and other advanced
maths, so teaching higher math is both a waste of time and causes actual damage to graduation rates.
“At the very time we should be honing and sharpening quantitative reasoning skills we punch students into algebra,
geometry, calculus. The Math People take over and ignore much simpler needs. Arithmetic is super essential — we
quantify everything,” Hacker toldThe New York Times.
Hacker went on to note that 57 percent of CUNY students failed basic algebra, “And this is getting worse with the
Common Core,” he added.
Proponents of continuing to teach algebra, though, discount Hacker’s claims. Bill McCallum, a professor at the University
of Arizona who helped create the math standards for Common Core, said that while it may be true few will go on to use
algebra on the job, the skill should be taught anyway because “we don’t know which kids” will need the skill and which
won’t.
Another top educator, Philip Uri Treisman, a professor of mathematics and of public affairs at the University of Texas,
said teaching algebra also helps train students in other ways, even if they don’t use the math later on in their careers.
“Every study I’ve ever seen of workers in whole bunches of fields shows that you have to understand formulas, you have
to understand relationships,” Treisman said. “Algebra is the tool for consolidating your knowledge of arithmetic.”
But other educators essentially agree with Hacker.
Karon Klipple, a project director for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, also noted too many
students are dropping out of college because algebra is too hard. Klipple claimed that between 60 and 80 percent of
students who drop out do so because the math requirements are too hard.
“This is where their hopes and aspirations go to die,” Klipple told the Associated Press. “They’re in college to try to make
a better life for themselves, and they’re stopped by mathematics.”
The problem seems widespread. Last year The Washington Post reported that three out of four high schoolers in
Maryland failed Algebra 1 and fn 2014 it was reported that 100,000 students in Arizona failed the state’s mandated math
testing.
Professor Hacker also went on to say the ACT and SAT testing kids go through is also useless for job skills and
contributes to lower graduation statistics.
“On the whole, I’d be happy if the ACT and SAT quietly disappeared,” he told the Times. “Speed may be necessary for
firefighters and airline pilots. But not in the intellectual enterprise. And yet, on many fronts, test scores in math provide
an edge for awards and admissions.”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/28/ny-professor-says-algebra-is-too-hard-schools-should-drop-it/
Comments
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Couldn't agree more
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and the leftist push to make people dumber continues.... low standards equal inferiority
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I passed it easily Algebra 2 got me. Critical thinking ? .
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I agree somewhat, I think learning algebra can help expand a persons ability to think, but shouldn't be held against somebody if they fail or don't grasp algebra past the introduction of equations and functions
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Yo Ajax, break that ? up into readable paragraphs neegah
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I'm bout to go watch idocracy again....
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No it's not
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Aryeh_Tsaddiq wrote: »I'm bout to go watch idocracy again....
They got that on Netflix? -
I had to take Algebra 3 times in high school and I failed it twice in college.
However, I'm really good at writing essays and term papers.
It depends on the individual, some people are better at math and some people are better at reading and writing. Some people are really good at one and suck at the other. Thats what I'm like.
I worked at an investment banking firm and the CFO and the Senior Trader admitted that they couldn't read, but they were really good at advanced mathematics.
It takes all kinds to make a world. -
I was taking advance Pre-Algebra in 8th grade and i came to the US from Jamaica in the 6th grade. I was surprised how far behind the US school system compared to the UK system.
As for the topic. Algebra ain't even that damn hard, it's just rules and formulas. Try taking some of these college Engineering classes, ? makes AP high school kids drop that major quick. -
stupid SOB whats hard about algebra? i hate this soft era we are living in
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i was a natural at math..
my cousin who i have custody of now is in 9th takin algebra..
they do the ? some different way now..
when he needs my help i help him and tell him to tell the teacher to kiss my ass if he got an issue wit the work! lol
but seriously u dont use algebra in ur daily life like that.. so it shouldnt be a requirement unless ur goin into a field where its needed.. why put that kind of pressure on a kid who jus wants to be basic all their life?? -
The school system is so primitive. I'm convince this whole ? is to keep people in a rat race, a vicious cycle of being in debt,etc.
? that needs to be thought is finance (balancing a check book, credit score, investing,etc).
Oh yeah, teach some of these new ? how to cook too. lol -
I'm off two minds about it. Higher level math is pointless but exposure to it can enlighten some students.
We can't drop science courses in high school (even though we should for college but I'll get back to this) because its not easy. You are lowering the bar but some kids need that challenge and it becomes a passion to them.
As far as college I definitely see that science and high level math be dropped. I have seen alot of people struggle with science, and math courses that are irrelevant to their degree.
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Tbh algebra anit even that difficult. yeah the majority of the time it can be confuseing and stressful, but just by looking over notes and constantly doing practice problems, I feel like most people will find it somewhat easy. There a lot of formulas and equations in algebra. You simply have review your notes frequently.
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The school system is so primitive. I'm convince this whole ? is to keep people in a rat race, a vicious cycle of being in debt,etc.
? that needs to be thought is finance (balancing a check book, credit score, investing,etc).
Oh yeah, teach some of these new ? how to cook too. lol
damn..
never thought if it like that!!?
? u smart! lol -
The school system is so primitive. I'm convince this whole ? is to keep people in a rat race, a vicious cycle of being in debt,etc.
? that needs to be thought is finance (balancing a check book, credit score, investing,etc).
Oh yeah, teach some of these new ? how to cook too. lol
that's the goal of capitalism -
Its too much politics in the school system. We don't teach civics anymore, 95% of history in just this country isn't discussed, no one understands simple finance or banking systems and it gets worse and worse as time goes on.
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Nah you need to keep high level math and science because there's some fields that require it.
For example, if you work for NASA and you're building a rocketship, you're gonna have to understand how the periodic table works and which chemicals to use for the rocket fuel and which types of metals to use to put the rocket together. But if you're a lawyer you don't need to know that.
If you're a doctor then you have to understand biochemistry before you prescribe drugs to somebody, but if your a policeman, you don't need to know biochemistry.
I took a course called Math 108. It scratched the surface of statistics and algebra but it didn't get too deep. I think that's sufficient for a Criminal Justice major. I took Statistics and Algebra and that was hard as hell for me, but I did well in all my writing courses so my GPA was decent. -
much better brah
i'll contribute a lil later -
Black people need to have all the STEM requirements in elementary, middle, and high school and those common core ways of teaching is bogus. There needs to be more teachers with higher pay and more investment into education and no one is willingly to demand this. The military budget needs to be cut at least in half. You need to have logical and functioning people in a nation to help continually developing this country. SMFH.
Anyone in support for this will be in support for a ? development for their children. We'll have people arguing in the 2060's like it's 1860's about is evolution real or not and is time tables important for high schoolers to learn. While the rest of this world will leave behind this third world nation with it's collapse of economy and while we are in China's lap. -
I was shocked that Obama didn't ditch this no child left behind ? . That ? is killing our youth
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Ajackson17 wrote: »Black people need to have all the STEM requirements in elementary, middle, and high school and those common core ways of teaching is bogus. There needs to be more teachers with higher pay and more investment into education and no one is willingly to demand this. The military budget needs to be cut at least in half. You need to have logical and functioning people in a nation to help continually developing this country. SMFH.
Anyone in support for this will be in support for a ? development for their children. We'll have people arguing in the 2060's like it's 1860's about is evolution real or not and is time tables important for high schoolers to learn. While the rest of this world will leave behind this third world nation with it's collapse of economy and while we are in China's lap.
I remember on the wire every time the mayor talked budget the 1st ? to get cut was education. Living here in DC you notice the 2 ? looking buildings and lowest funded agencies are the Education and Housing departments. But yet all the park police riding 2015 Taurus's and Chargers -
Ajackson17 wrote: »Black people need to have all the STEM requirements in elementary, middle, and high school and those common core ways of teaching is bogus. There needs to be more teachers with higher pay and more investment into education and no one is willingly to demand this. The military budget needs to be cut at least in half. You need to have logical and functioning people in a nation to help continually developing this country. SMFH.
Anyone in support for this will be in support for a ? development for their children. We'll have people arguing in the 2060's like it's 1860's about is evolution real or not and is time tables important for high schoolers to learn. While the rest of this world will leave behind this third world nation with it's collapse of economy and while we are in China's lap.
I remember on the wire every time the mayor talked budget the 1st ? to get cut was education. Living here in DC you notice the 2 ? looking buildings and lowest funded agencies are the Education and Housing departments. But yet all the park police riding 2015 Taurus's and Chargers
Exactly. Because ignorant workers produce you the results that you desire. When you are ignorant and don't know the value of proper education whether self taught(you still have teachers) and formal education you are learning how to critically think and carefully understand the significance of why having Stem and also Artistic education is so damn important. It helps and develops you into a well rounded person, but certain people could never even think about being elected such as the two biggest Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump both incompetent and clearly for economic gain instead of great leadership.
But the thing we I have is that as black people who have been denied education who brought forth what we called STEM is pure craziness. Education have rose people from the walking dead and enlightened them to do better and see further, we must end this madness. I can't believe this is even a real discussion.
