Do Students Need Less Algebra?
Is there an algebra overkill? That’s the question John W. Myres, a retired California school teacher and superintendent, asks in a recent opinion piece in Education Week. He answers in the affirmative. Myres notes that most school districts require all students to take one to two years of algebra to graduate and suggests that this may be too much of a good thing. Sure, algebra is necessary for students who want to study higher mathematics or go on to careers that require advanced math skills. But, he adds, that’s not must for most of us.
Most folks use math every day to buy things, balance checkbooks, create budgets, decipher recipes, or even to enjoy baseball stats. But none of the math skills we need to do those and other chores require knowing algebra. While it’s “reasonable [for students] to have some experience with it before leaving school . . . the current craze to increase and require algebra without any other considerations” seems unnecessary to Myres. Myres is no mathphobe. He writes that he enjoyed algebra and took it not only in high school but at college. Nevertheless, he says, he can’t recall every putting it to use since then. He concludes: “I’ve never had to solve for ‘two unknowns,’ a task that was, in those long-ago days, a particular delight of mine.”
Filed under: K-12 Education News
Tags: Education Policy, Math teachers, Mathematics
