Posted on 07/22/2017 5:15:30 PM PDT by grundle
The chancellor of the California community college system has stated that institutions’ algebra requirements are “the biggest barrier” for “underemployed or unemployed Americans,” and as such is … a civil rights issue.
According to NPR, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz 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.”
In an interview with the chancellor, NPR’s Robert Siegel pointed out the low graduation rate in the community college system (48% for an associate’s degree), and then asked Oakley if ditching algebra wasn’t just the “easy way out.”
Oakley retorted “I hear that a lot and unfortunately nothing could be farther from the truth. Somewhere along the lines, since the 1950s, we decided that the only measure of a student’s ability to reason or to do some sort of quantitative measure is algebra.
“What we’re saying is we want as rigorous a course as possible to determine a student’s ability to succeed, but it should be relevant to their course of study. There are other math courses that we could introduce that tell us a lot more about our students.”
From the interview:
[Q]: Bob Moses , the civil rights activist, started the Algebra Project, teaching concepts of algebra to black students in the South. He saw the teaching of math as a continuation of the civil rights struggle.
Rates of failure in algebra are higher for minority groups than they are for white students. Why do you think that is? Do you think a different curriculum would have less disparate results by ethnic or racial group?
[A]: First of all, we’ve seen in the data from many of the pilots across the country that are using alternative math pathways — that are just as rigorous as an algebra course — we’ve seen much greater success for students because many of these students can relate to these different kinds of math depending on which program of study they’re in. They can see how it works in their daily life and how it’s going to work in their career. …
[Q]: Do you risk a negative form of tracking? Depriving a student of the possibility of saying in community college: “Wow, that quadratic equation is the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen. I think I’m going to do more stuff like this.”
[A]: We’re certainly not saying that we’re going to commit students to lower levels of math or different kinds of math. What we’re saying is we want more students to have math skills that allow them to keep moving forward. We want to build bridges between the kinds of math pathways we’re talking about that will allow them to continue into STEM majors. We don’t want to limit students.
The last thing I’d say is that we are already tracking students. We are already relegating students to a life of below livable wage standards. So we’ve already done so, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Here’s a good debate on the merits of taking algebra, and this site provides good examples of when you use algebra … and don’t even realize it.
Miss USA, not Miss America- fake anyway.
The problem is that ALL math in school is being taught wrong. The schoolbook publishers want to use the last fad techniques (New Math, Common Core etc) rather than normal, proven methods. Even the teachers don't understand algebra. I had a terrible algebra teacher in high school and it held me back academically.
Performance in algebra and math in general is one subject that isn't affected by cultural difference. It is purely a logical system.
Or Bill Lie, the science doof!
My degree did not require Algebra, thank goodness. I needed only one semester of math and took a course called “Ideas in Mathematics.” I actually got more math work in two courses within my major: Speech Science and Audiology.
I don’t regret avoiding college Algebra. Two years in high school were plenty! Yuck.
It was nice to know the gauge was that accurate. That's Algebra. The owner didn't understand this.
The idea that somehow, simple logic like that is unnecessary and unused is quaint leftist lies, and a demonstration of why and how demoncrats are destroying our civilization.
Do we let the Stupids destroy us, or must we destroy them to survive? It's certain we can't co-exist.
How many nickels in a quarter?
How many dimes?
That’s algebra.
That can’t be real. They were all fugly.
It seems like it would be simpler just to award them all a PHD. ................................. For an Aspiring Rapper or an aspiring Drug running Pilot? Yes they can learn, we aren’t born to be stupid, but the learning needs to be motivated. The more educated the parent the better the motivation. I had trouble with algebra, but a little tutoring got me to Trigonometry on my own. Most of the minority kids don’t have the drive because they come from dysfunctional 1 parent homes. Math is important, without it, what would you have today a cave? Once the lights go out, and the power is off, you will see how important the math is. It got us to the moon and it will get us to Mars. God only knows how far we will go with the computer, and yes, the math is there. I’m not a mathematician or a book keeper, but I did spend a night at Motel 8. (With the bed bugs)
>>FYI : your answer is 1 and a 3rd Quarts or is this a trick question? (grin!)<<
I was tempted lol — I just wanted a vocational example quickly.
I just completed my 40th year of not using Algebra.
That's worth a good laugh.
“I just completed my 40th year of not using Algebra.”
You can’t go through life at all without it. It is everywhere.
I got out of Freshman Algebra in high school with a D Average. Never in my wildest dreams I would ever use it. Then I became an LEO and got slapped hard in the face when I attended my first crash investigation training. Who would have ever thougth?
Math, including algebra, is weight lifting for the logical part of the mind.
We need Laz for 2nd opinion.
I seriously doubt that is true.
Scool iz 2 tuff. Get rid ov it.
48th year, and see my kids learning it, and still looks Chinese all the Y’s and X’s
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